Slipping Into Darkness
by wildlightning
Summary: Different twist to 'Showdown' and it continues after that ordeal. A new evil threatens to kill the team if Danny doesn't comply with his demands. Will the team live or die? Their lives hang on Danny's hands. Feedback RR is welcome and appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I do not own Without A Trace and I do not have any medical background or knowledge, so please don't sue me.

Summary: This is just a small twist to 'Showdown' that I had saved. I never had any intention of posting it. So, I don't know if the story should end here or if it should continue a little more. Feedback R/R is welcome and appreciated.

After Martin was out of surgery and Danny knew that he was gonna be safe, Danny left the hospital unnoticed and without the doctor's consent. He went back to the office and continued looking for Dornvald. Later, after nearly getting the female doctor killed, Jack had a go at Danny in the clinic. No one had bothered to ask him or realized it, but Danny had been injured badly during the ambush. So, when Jack confronted him at the clinic for almost getting the doctor killed, the effects of his injuries took a toll and he collapsed. Unlucky for Danny, Jack didn't hold on to him on time and he hit the floor hard, causing further damage to Danny as he split his forehead open.

"Danny! Danny, come on, don't do this to me! Wake up, son!" Jack said fearfully but gruffly as he tapped Danny's face slightly hard but didn't get a response. "I need some help over here now!" He yelled urgently, causing the female doctor and a nurse to come to Danny's aid.

"What happened to him?" Dr. Klein asked seriously and concerned as she checked Danny's vital signs.

"I don't know. I was just talking to him and he collapsed. Why the hell isn't he waking up?" Jack said gruffly as fear was clearly evident in his voice but Dr. Klein didn't answer his question.

As Dr. Klein examined Danny, she got a horrified look in her eyes that caused a chill to run down Jack's spine.

"What the hell is going on? What aren't you telling me?" Jack yelled gruffly.

"You need to calm down right now, Agent Malone." Dr. Klein yelled sternly as she and the nurses strapped Danny to a backboard and secured his head and neck. "Get Medevac here right now. Tell them that we have possible severe internal bleeding. Move." She said seriously and urgently, causing the nurse to run off to call the medevac.

"Are you gonna tell me what the hell is going on or do I have to beat it out of someone?" Jack yelled angrily out of fear, his words causing Dr. Klein to sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry Agent Malone, but right now Agent Taylor's in critical condition. He's not responding to stimuli-painful or otherwise and he's got severe bruising on his abdomen. It's possible that Agent Taylor's suffering severe internal bleeding and possibly a brain injury. I don't have the necessary medical equipment here that he needs, so I'm having him transferred to Mt. Sinai. They're the number one trauma hospital and they'll be able to help him better than I can right now." Dr. Klein said seriously but as gently as possible.

A nurse came running back and announced that the Medevac had arrived, so they rushed Danny to the chopper. At first, the Medevac crew wouldn't let Jack go with Danny to the hospital. But Jack refused to leave Danny's side, so they relented and allowed him to ride along.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Jack was taken out to the waiting room while doctors treated Danny inside the trauma room. They began drawing Danny's blood and then had to intubate him when his lungs collapsed. Doctors had no luck reviving Danny, so they ordered a full body MRI. But the results they got back were devastating.

Three hours had passed and Jack was still pacing the waiting room, waiting to hear news on Danny, when a doctor arrived in the waiting room asking for him. As soon as Jack saw the sorrowful look on the doctor's face, he knew that the news was awful and just that thought alone caused his guts to wrench.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez. Are you here for Agent Taylor?" She said gently but concerned for the pale figure standing before her.

"Yes, I'm Agent Malone. So, how is Agent Taylor doing?" Jack asked calmly but fear was clearly evident in his voice, causing his heart to fall out of his chest when the doctor sighed heavily and gestured for the chair.

"Please have a seat Agent Malone." Dr. Gonzalez said gently, causing Jack to sit down.

"Whatever it is just tell me." Jack said gruffly out of fear and concern for Danny's safety.

"I'm really sorry but the news isn't good." Dr. Gonzalez explained as gently as possible and saw Jack grow paler before her eyes. "The MRI that we ran on him showed that Agent Taylor is suffering from severe internal bleeding. He's also got a very serious brain hemorrhage." She explained as gently as possible.

"Where is he now? Is he awake yet?" Jack said calmly but fearfully as his voice broke.

"I'm afraid he isn't. We were able to stabilize his vital signs for the moment, so he's upstairs being prepped for surgery." Dr. Gonzalez said seriously but gently.

"How long is the surgery going to take?" Jack asked softly but devastated as his voice broke.

"Because of the severe extent of his injuries, the surgery can take anywhere from eight to twelve hours. Now, I'm really sorry, but I have to go prepare for his surgery. I'll have them give you information as soon as I can. If you need to use the phone or need anything at all, let the staff know and they'll help you. I already ordered that you be allowed full access to the phone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really must go attend to Agent Taylor." Dr. Gonzalez explained gently as she shook Jack's hands and left.

Over the next eight hours, doctors worked hard to repair Danny's injuries and they had gotten lucky. However, that luck turned awry when they were closing Danny's incisions. Danny's heart began beeping rapidly and he flatlined. Doctors tried everything thing they knew to get him back. They tried shocking him, giving him drugs and one doctor even massaged his heart with his hand to get it going again. Danny's heart had been lifeless for ten minutes and they were ready to pronounce him dead, when Danny's heart began beating again and he began breathing on his own.

Jack hadn't moved from the waiting room in over eight hours and he was exhausted. He saw Dr. Gonzalez coming to him and immediately stood up from the chair, but only to be sat down again by the doctor.

"What happened?" Jack said very concerned as his heart began to beat rapidly, causing it to beat violently when Dr. Gonzalez gently held his hand tightly and sighed heavily.

"Jack, I need you to remain calm. But the news isn't good, I'm sorry." Dr. Gonzalez explained very gently as she held his hand tightly, causing Jack to blanch a little. "We were able to repair the damages to Danny's brain and stop the bleeding but when we were finishing…he flatlined for ten minutes. We tried all we could and gave him drugs and shocked him. Now, we were able to get him back. But, I'm afraid that he suffered brain damage due to the lack of oxygen. I'm sorry, but there's only a one percent chance that Danny will ever recover." Dr. Gonzalez explained very gently but sadly, causing Jack to cover his mouth in shock.

"But, there's still a one percent chance that he'll wake up—I mean that he'll be all right?" Jack said with emotion and concerned etched in his voice, but the doctor sadly shook her head and gently squeezed his hand.

"I'm so sorry, Jack, but it is unlikely that Agent Taylor will survive the night. And even if he does survive the night, he'll have to wake up within the next 8-12 hours. Or it's unlikely that he'll ever wake up." Dr. Gonzalez explained as gently as possible.

"Danny's a fighter, he's tough. He's one of my toughest agents. I know he'll wake up. I just know it. He's too damn stubborn not to." Jack said with conviction.

The doctor shook her head sadly. "Even if he does wake up, there's no telling what condition he'll be in." Dr. Gonzalez explained sadly and it caused Jack to look at her questioningly and defiantly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack asked gruffly as he glared at the doctor.

"Because Agent Taylor's brain was deprived of oxygen for so long, when he flatlined in the O.R., it's very possible that he'll remain in a vegetative state for the rest of his life and will not be able to function normally." Dr. Gonzalez said very gently and cautiously as she saw Jack turn complete white as he began panting and sweating.

At that moment, Jack felt as though all of the air had been sucked out of him as he collapsed onto the hospital floor in utter shock and disbelief. Dr. Gonzalez knelt in front of him as she called for help. Help arrived and they rushed Jack inside on a gurney to a trauma room and began treating him.

Jack tried to fight her off along with the nurses and orderly who came to his aid. So, they restrained him to the gurney with hard restraints and then Dr. Gonzalez stabbed him with a syringe and injected Jack with a sedative to calm him down. Jack immediately fell asleep and didn't wake up for several hours later when Dr. Gonzalez came in to check on his condition.

"How are you feeling, Jack? You gave us a hell of a scare." Dr. Gonzalez asked gently but concerned as she checked his heart rate, breathing and blood pressure, causing Jack to glare openly at her as he growled angrily.

"You didn't have to do that." Jack exclaimed gruffly as he was still obviously angry with her for putting restraints on him and giving him a sedative.

"You were out of control and needed to be calmed down. You were so angry from what I told you, that you tried to attack my nurses and orderly. Just be thankful that I didn't call security on you." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but caringly because she understood all too well what he was going through.

As Dr. Gonzalez spoke, Jack suddenly remembered that he was there for Danny.

"Wait a minute. How's Danny? How long has he been out? Is he awake already? Answer me." Jack said urgently but gruffly.

"Calm down. Otherwise, I'll have to sedate you again." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but Jack nodded and took a breath. "Regarding Agent Taylor, I'm afraid that there hasn't been any change in his condition. He's been unconscious for nearly ten hours." She explained gently, her words causing tears to escape Jack's eyes.

"Can I see him?" Jack said solemnly and tears stained his weary face as he remembered the doctor's warning about Danny having to wake up in the next eight to twelve hours.

Dr. Gonzalez wouldn't answer his query but that's when Jack noticed the uneasiness his question had caused her.

"Please? I'll stay calm, I promise. I mean, if he's…going to…" Jack couldn't utter those words. "I don't want him to be alone if he's…going to die." Jack cried softly but solemnly.

Dr. Gonzalez relented and had Jack transferred to Danny's room in the ICU. She knew that Jack shouldn't be there but she felt sorry for him. By Jack's reaction to Danny's condition, it was obvious that her patient meant more to Jack that just another agent. Daddy was family to Jack.

Dr. Gonzalez made Jack wear protective gear to go in and be with Danny. Once protected, she gently sat Jack on a chair next to Danny's bed. Jack was shocked to see Danny connected to all of those machines and tubes entering every crevice of Danny's cold and lifeless body. But despite all of that, Jack tried to fill Danny with some warmth and held his hand tightly in his own as he cried.

"Danny, it's me Jack. You have to listen to me now, okay? You have to wake up, Danny-boy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let you go back into the field today and I should've asked you how you were really doing. Instead, I got blindsided by my rage and need for revenge on Dornvald for what he did to you and Martin." Jack cried regretfully as he continued to hold Danny's hand tightly.

All of a sudden, the heart monitor began beeping rapidly and then its tone changed to a blaring beeeeeeeeeeep as Danny flatlined yet again. The medical team immediately ran into Danny's room yelling frantically as they started trying to revive him.

"Code Blue! Code Blue!" The medical team yelled frantically as they began working to save Danny's life.

Dr. Cross grabbed the paddles and shocked Danny several times and injected medication intravenously. Then, finally after all hope was gone and she was going to pronounce Danny dead, the heart monitor started beeping again. Danny's heart was beating again. He was alive once again.

"We got him!" Dr. Gonzalez yelled relieved.

"How is he? Damn it, tell me!" Jack yelled angrily as tears stained his face.

"Calm down, Jack or I'll have you removed from here immediately!" Dr. Gonzalez yelled sternly as she checked Danny's vital signs and sighed heavily. "He's stable at the moment but he's still critical. I'm sorry, but if we lose him again, we might not get him back. I'm gonna order some tests for him and I'll be right back. I'm sorry, Jack." She said sadly as she gently squeezed his shoulder and left Danny's room.

Jack sighed heavily as tears stained his face and he took a hold of Danny's hand as he cried. The deadline for Danny to awaken had long passed. Danny had been in a coma for twenty-four hours. And yet, there remained jack, hopeful that Danny would wake up. However, his hopes began failing him when Dr. Gonzalez informed him that the tests showed that Danny wouldn't wake up. The news left Jack completely devastated.

"I'm sorry, Jack, but we've done all that we can for him. And I hate to do this to you now, but you're going to have to make a difficult decision. You're gonna have to decide if you wants us to keep him on life support or if you want us to take everything off." Dr. Gonzalez explained sadly and gently, her words causing Jack to cry inconsolably.

"Please, just give me some time alone with him." Jack cried distraught as he held on to Danny's hand, causing her to gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Of course, Jack. Talk all the time you need. If you need anything else, let us know." Dr. Gonzalez said sadly as she left the room.

_**THIRTY-TWO HOURS LATER…**_

Although Jack had lost all hope by this time, he decided to leave Danny on life support because he couldn't bring himself to let Danny go yet. He felt so hopeless that he did the only thing he could think of—he began praying. He hadn't done it in a long time because he'd lost his faith. But as Danny laid there lifeless, he felt that only a higher power could save Danny now. So, he took a hold of Danny's hand in his own and began praying.

He finished praying and laid his head on Danny's bed— he was so exhausted after not having left Danny's side since he flatlined. He suddenly felt, what he thought to be Danny's hand lightly squeezing his own. He quickly looked down and saw that he hadn't been dreaming. Danny was indeed moving but his eyes still closed.

"Danny, squeeze my hand! Come on, son! Squeeze my hand right now!" Jack said as his voice was raw with emotion, causing his heart to jump out of his chest when Danny complied and weakly squeezed his hand. "Danny can you open your eyes for me?" he said emotionally as tears streamed down his face.

Danny tried really hard but he couldn't open his eyes because they felt like they been glued shut.

"Danny-boy, come on. Open your eyes for me. I know you can do it. Come on or your ass will stay in the dog house for a year." Jack said as his was filled with raw emotion.

Danny slowly opened his eyes to a crack and a blurry image appeared before him. "Good, Danny-boy, you're doing great." Jack said as his voice shook and he tightly held Danny's hand and soothed his head.

Danny soon realized that he couldn't breathe because something was lodged in his throat. So, he started panicking and tried to take out whatever was taking his air away. Jack, however, quickly grabbed Danny's weakly flailing arms before Danny could take out the ET breathing tube.

"Danny, calm down! You're in the hospital! You have a tube in your throat that's helping you breathe! So, calm down and leave it alone!" Jack said sternly as he held Danny's arms carefully but somewhat tightly.

Danny weakly tried to get free from Jack's tight grips but he soon gave up on that idea when he realized that there was no point in trying.

"You're in the hospital, Danny. You collapsed after Dornvald escaped from that clinic. Do you remember what happened?" Jack asked fearfully but hopeful, causing jack to sigh in relief and breathe shakily when Danny weakly nodded.

Dr. Gonzalez quickly rushed into the room after the ICU staff informed her that Danny had regained consciousness.

"Agent Taylor? My name's Dr. Gonzalez and I've been handling your care. Can you understand what I'm telling you?" She asked gently but concerned, causing her to sigh in relief when tears escaped Danny's eyes as he nodded. "I need you to shake yes or no if you can feel what I do to you." she explained gently.

Dr. Gonzalez began checking Danny's reflexes, causing her to smile when she scraped his feet and hand with a sharp instrument and he curled his fingers and toes and then glared at her. She told him to squeeze her hands and move his feet and he did, earning a fearful Jack a smile from her.

"Do you know what happened to you and how you got here?" Dr. Gonzalez asked gently and Danny nodded.

Danny suddenly thought of Martin and began looking at Jack fearfully as the monitor beeped a little rapidly, causing jack to quickly and tightly grasp his hand.

"Hey, calm down, Danny-boy. I know why you're scared but don't be. Martin's okay. It was touch and go but he pulled through. He'll have to be on a junk-food free diet for a while but he's going to be fine; you both are. And soon you'll be making go bald from worry. You see this spot?" Jack said smiling as he pointed to his head and Danny looked at him. "Yeah, this is thanks to you and Martin driving me crazy with worry. Pretty soon I'm gonna be completely balled. So, I want you to get your lazy ass out of that bed and get back to work as soon as possible. Do I make myself clear, Agent Taylor?" Jack said in a mock stern tone as he smiled, causing him to laugh loudly and happily when Danny's eyes crinkled in mirth and he tried to laugh.

"Calm down and don't try to laugh Agent Taylor. We'll be right back." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly as she smiled, causing Danny to smile again and nod.

Astonished, Dr. Gonzalez brought Jack out of the room and into the hall.

"So, how is he? How's he doing?" Jack asked Dr. Gonzalez.

"I can't explain this. There's no reason for him to even be responsive but apparently he knows everything that's happened in the last few days. I'll have to run some extensive tests to make sure that there isn't any permanent damage but his prognosis…is…great. This is a miracle. I've never seen anything like it." Dr. Gonzalez said genuinely happy for her patient as she smiled from ear to ear.

"Can I stay with him? Please?" Jack asked smiling as he looked at Danny, causing Dr. Gonzalez to smile when she turned around and saw Danny looking at Jack as he weakly held out his hand and mirth crinkled his eyes.

"Of course, you can stay with him, Jack. I'll go order the tests and then I'll be back. Go with him." She said kindly and Jack gladly returned to the room.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling when she saw Danny weakly grab Jack's hand and squeeze it lightly as his eyes twinkled. She departed smiling as she left to order the tests for Danny.

All the tests came back normal and Danny was released two weeks later with. After a lot of pleading and begging, Jack allowed Danny to go back to work six weeks later, with the doctor's permission, but only light desk duty.

Danny walked to Jack's office one morning a week after he started working again and knocked on his door.

"Come in." Jack said gruffly not knowing that it was Danny at the door, causing him to immediately worry when the door opened and Danny stood before him. "Danny what's the matter? Are you okay?" he asked concerned as he motioned for Danny to come in and close the door.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Jack. I just…uh…wanted to thank you for letting me come back to work this soon." Danny said nervously.

"You're welcome, Danny. But don't think that you're gonna be leaving the office anytime soon. You're gonna work light duty and if I see you looking even a little sick, your ass is going back home. I'll even have another agent escort you to make sure you stay there if I have to. Do you understand me? And I'm gonna watch you like a hawk, so don't think that you can pull a fast one on me again." Jack said with a smirk. "_Jack, I'm_ _fine._" Jack said mocking Danny's earlier comment and then smiled. "Go on, get out of here." Jack said with a grin from ear to ear as he motioned for the door.

"Thanks, Jack." Danny said smiling but with a tinge of nervousness and sadness in his voice that Jack noticed. "Well, I better get back to work." He said smiling softly as he bit his bottom lip and left Jack's office.

And whether Danny knew it or not, Jack was keeping a close eye on him. Danny may not have thought that he'd shown any emotion of how he really felt being back at work, but his boss and friend, Jack Malone clearly saw the tears that escaped Danny's eyes as he sat at his desk once again. And just as quickly as they came, Danny looked around to make sure that no one could see him and just as quickly wiped the tears away. Yes, jack thought, he'd definitely have to keep very close, hawk eyes on his young agent…?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: As much as I love Without A Trace, I do not own any part of it or the characters so please don't sue me.

**Chapter 2**

Danny wasn't aware of it, but as he dried his tears, there was a concerned and silent observer who had been watching him closely in the shadows since he had arrived in the office that day.

Martin had all too clearly seen the tears that Danny had been trying to hide but he didn't say anything to Danny. Instead, he went over to Danny and gently squeezed his shoulder as if to give him some comfort.

"How's it going, brother? How does it feel to be back on the job?" Martin asked smiling and didn't let on that he'd seen Danny's hidden tears.

"It feels great to great to be back, even though I prefer to be out in the field. But you know jack. He said that if he sees me looking even a little sick, he's gonna have another agent escort me home and make sure that I stay there. Can you believe that? How can he doubt little old me?" Danny said with a devious smile and a twinkle in his eyes, causing Martin to laugh amused.

"That's because he knows that you're a sneaky devil. Jack already told me what happened after the ambush. You told him that you were okay but that you collapsed at the hospital after Dornvald took that doctor hostage and got away." Martin said gently but then noticed how Danny suddenly became quiet and stopped smiling. "Danny, are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked caringly but concerned, causing Danny to clear his throat and shake his head.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Martin. Why?" Danny asked with a false smile on his face as he shrugged.

Martin wasn't sure what to answer, so for several seconds, there was and awkward silence between them. Thankfully, Danny's phone rang and he answered it.

"Excuse Me." He said to Martin a bit relieved. "This is Taylor." Danny said into the phone.

Martin wasn't sure who had called Danny, but the fact was that Danny became nervous as he shook a little and ran a hand down his now pale face. Martin gave Danny some privacy and he saw how Danny began arguing as he whispered into the phone.

Danny got so angry by the call that he shut his cell phone and angrily threw it on the desk. The entire situation caused Danny to have a violent coughing fit.

"Danny, Danny, are you all right? Here drink this water. What the hell happened to you? Take it easy, brother, just breathe." Martin said slightly fearful as he patted Danny's back gently and he finally stopped coughing but remained wheezing and a little shaken.

Finally, after a minute, Danny was finally able to recover as he drank more water with his shaky hands.

"Danny, what the hell happened to you? You were doing fine. Who the hell called you?" Martin said still slightly panicked as he took a hold of Danny's shoulder, causing Danny to immediately close up and break away from Martin.

"Nothing happened, Martin, I'm fine. The call was just a wrong number." Danny said seriously but obviously shaken because he was sweating and his face remained very pale.

"That's a sorry ass excuse if I ever heard one, Danny. We both know damn well that that wasn't a wrong number. Whoever called you, pissed you off enough to cause this." Martin whispered sternly out of concern.

Martin's words caused Danny to immediately become defensive as he stood up in front of Martin's face and glared at him.

"I told you that it was damn wrong number and I'm fine. So, back the hell off and leave it alone." Danny warned angrily and defensively but calmly and through gritted teeth as he glared viciously at his partner, but Martin stood his ground and stayed right where he was as he got closer to Danny.

"Unless you want me to go into Jack's office and have him drag your ass back home for being sick, I suggest that you back off of my face right now and cool your ass off. Do you understand me, Danny?" Martin whispered sternly out of concern and he glared at Danny, causing Danny to huff furiously but back away from Martin.

"Stay out of it, Martin. It's not your business. It's nobody's damn business." Danny whispered seething and then turned and left the office angrily after he grabbed his coat and cell phone.

The confrontation left Martin feeling as if he had been punched in the stomach by an invisible force and all the wind had been sucked out of him. He tried to compose himself but couldn't as he walked quickly toward the restroom holding his stomach and mouth. Martin made it to the bathroom without a second to spare as he violently lost the contents of his stomach in the toilet.

Martin was still a bit weak after being shot and his stomach wasn't prepared to handle a tense situation like this with his partner and best friend. He knew that Danny was hiding something dark and he was going to figure out what it was before it ate Danny away completely.

Martin was so winded from vomiting that he hadn't even realized that someone had followed him inside to the restroom. He didn't realize that anyone was in there with him, until someone cleared their throat, causing Martin to look behind him and flinch we he saw his boss and friend Jack Malone staring back at him.

"Are you gonna tell me what the hell's going on with you and Danny or are you gonna pretend that that altercation didn't happen?" Jack said calmly but gruffly, causing him to abruptly cut Martin off when he tried to deny it. "Don't even try to lie to my face, Martin. I saw everything because I've been keeping a close eye on you two. Now, are you gonna tell me what's going or am I gonna have to get it out of Danny?" he said gruffly, causing Martin to sigh heavily as he washed his hands and face.

"There's nothing going on, Jack. Everything is fine." Martin said quietly as he sighed heavily but couldn't look at Jack in the face.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you. Do you see the word STUPID written all over my bald head? No, so go with that horse manure to whoever will believe you and whoever doesn't know you and Danny. I've known both of you for more than five years, so cut the bullshit. What the hell is going on with you two? And more importantly what's going on with Danny?" Jack said gruffly but caringly, causing Martin to sigh heavily and shake his head as he briefly closed his eyes.

"There's nothing on with me, Jack, but there is with Danny and I don't know what." Martin said defeated.

"Does it have anything to do with the call that he got?" Jack asked seriously, causing Martin to look at him shocked. "It's my job to know what goes on with my agents. Now, tell me about the call." He said seriously but with compassionate undertones.

Martin sighed heavily and tried to leave but Jack grabbed his arm and carefully spun him around.

"You can tell me in the office or you and Danny can both go home on continued sick leave until further notice. It's your choice, so make the right one. You've got fifteen minutes to make your choice because I'm not gonna put you out in the field so you can jeopardize the lives of your fellow agents or any missing person because you have your head on Danny. Are we clear? You know where to find me." Jack warned sternly and then left the restroom irately.

Martin shook a little at Jack's harsh words as he too left the restroom. He was on his way back to his desk when he saw a pale Danny coming out of the elevator a bit shaken.

Danny came out of the elevator and saw the worried look on his partner's face. Martin was only trying to help me and I treat him like shit. He doesn't know that I was only trying to protect him. But how the hell can I talk to him now? Danny thought to himself silently as he sat at his desk.

Martin saw the look of worry and guilt on Danny's face and immediately, the fear and concern that he felt for his friend, intensified. He decided to make peace with Danny and stood before him holding his hand open.

Danny sighed heavily and immediately gripped Martin's hand extremely tight in a brotherhood grip as his hand shook a little.

"Martin…I…" Danny said softly but couldn't continue when Martin shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Danny. It's over and done with, all right?" Martin said as he gripped Danny's hand tighter and then something caught his eyes that caused him to nearly double over. "Oh, my God. Danny, what happened to you? Danny, you're bleeding. You've got blood on your neck and throat." Martin whispered very quietly and fearfully concerned, causing Danny to begin shaking slightly and try to get away again.

"Calm down. I'm not gonna say anything, Danny. Just get up slowly and head to the restroom. I'm gonna go get some bandages and alcohol wipes. Nobody can see that you're bleeding so just relax and act normal. Do you understand me?" Martin whispered kindly but very concerned and fearful, causing Danny to nod nervously as he shook slightly. "Just go in there. I'll be right there. Go on." He whispered concerned and then they both parted ways.

Jack could tell that there was something wrong with his agents but he pretended not to see Martin as he looked through the first aid kit in the lounge and put some things in his pocket. He waited until Martin went into the restroom and then followed behind.

"Danny, look at me man. Just relax, you're gonna be okay." Martin said sternly to a shaken Danny. "Now, do you wanna tell me what's going on or are you gonna keep lying to me?" Martin said a little sternly but concerned as he wiped the blood off of Danny's neck as it continued gushing a bit.

"Martin, please, just…just stay out of it." Danny said a bit slurred, causing Martin to realize that Danny was about to vomit on him and pass out.

"Whoa, Danny, Danny, I've got you. Just breathe, all right, man?" Martin said fearfully as he got Danny to the stall and Danny began vomiting violently as Martin continued applying pressure to his neck.

Jack had heard enough eavesdropping at the door, to know that something was horribly wrong with his young agents. He went into the restroom and his eyes bugged out as he gasped horrified when he saw Danny vomiting and Martin's hands covered in his blood.

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Author's Note: Let me know if you want me to continue this story. I appreciate any feedback (R and R).


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks very much for the reviews so far. They are very appreciated. Hope you enjoy this next installment. And as always, as much as I enjoy Without A Trace, I do not own any of their characters so please don't sue.

Chapter 3

"Jesus! Danny, what the hell happened to you?!" Jack exclaimed horrified at the sight before him.

Danny couldn't answer, however, as he continued vomiting violently. And as he vomit violently, the wound on his neck continued gushing as Martin applied pressure to it. Finally, after vomiting violently four times, Danny stopped as he fell to his knees and shook uncontrollably.

"Martin, get a medic in here now!" Jack said urgently and obviously fearful, but Danny shook his head as he quietly cried fearfully.

"No, Jack! Please don't call anyone!" Danny quietly cried terrified as he shook.

"Like hell I'm not calling anyone, Danny. I'm not going to stand by and do nothing. I'm not going to let you die." Jack said very sternly out of fear but his actions caused Danny to worsen, causing Martin to grab the dressings out of his pocket and bandage Danny's throat as much as possible without choking him.

"Jack, please don't call it in! Please!" Danny quietly cried horrified as he shook violently.

"Jack, what if we get him to your office and get Lisa to treat him there? Please?" Martin pled nervously as he continued applying pressure to Danny's throat.

"Jack, please, I'll do whatever you want! But listen to Martin! Please, Jack!" Danny cried fearfully, and in a moment of desperation and fear, he held Jack tightly, causing Jack to realize that there was something more to this entire situation, than Danny was telling.

Damn it. All right, all right, calm down and take some deep breaths for me right now." Jack sad sternly but caringly as fear was all too clearly evident in his voice, causing Danny to try to breathe as he shook violently and he looked at Jack with a fear so raw, that it caused Jack's heart to tighten in his chest.

"Martin, go get Lisa right now. I'm going to get him to my office. Go!" Jack said urgently and sternly as he took over for Martin and began applying pressure to Danny's wound, causing Martin to run out of the bathroom fearfully and to Lisa's office.

"Come on. I've got to get you out of here and to my office. Can you walk?"Jack said sternly as he tried to keep his composure.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can walk." Danny quietly cried shakily as Jack continued applying pressure to his throat as he led Danny out of the bathroom.

Just as they exited the bathroom, Martin and Dr. Lisa Harris appeared before them as she held some kind of medical bag.

"Jesus! Jack, we have to get him into your office now." Martin said calmly but obviously fearful as they led him to Jack's office and other agents in the bullpen looked on in horror at the blood that was staining Danny's throat and soaked Jack and Martin's hands.

Once in his office, Jack closed his door and blinds after they sat a badly shaken Danny on his office couch.

Lisa put on gloves and opened new dressings along with alcohol pads as they began to treat Danny's wounds, causing her to hiss when she saw the wound and wiped it as gently as possible with the alcohol pads.

"Danny, you need to go to a hospital. Thankfully, the injury didn't rupture your carotid, but it sure as hell came close. What happened to you, Danny? How did you get hurt?" Lisa asked seriously and concerned but compassionately, causing her to look at Danny suspiciously when he swallowed very hard.

"I'm fine, all right. I just cut myself shaving." Danny said shakily, causing everyone to look at him because they knew that he was lying.

Cut myself shaving? What the hell were you thinking, Danny? Couldn't you come up with a better excuse than that, Danny silently chastised himself.

"That's the biggest load of garbage that I've ever heard come out of your mouth, Danny. What really happened to you?" Jack said sternly out of fear.

"I don't give a damn if you don't believe me, Jack, but it's the truth." Danny said angrily as he breathed angrily but tears stained every crevice of his face, so no one took him or his words seriously.

I'm so sorry, Jack. I hope that you can for give me someday. But I can't live with myself if something happens to any of you.--Danny silently said to himself sadly as more tears escaped his eyes.

Lisa cleaned up Danny's wound and put on a clean dressing. Being that she was a psychiatrist, however, she could tell that Danny was terribly afraid of something. But she didn't say anything to him. Instead, she finished caring for Danny and took Jack to the lounge while Martin remained with Danny as he laid on Jack's couch.

"What is it, Lisa?" Jack asked terribly concerned but calmly.

"Jack, unless you want to lose an agent as fine as Danny, I suggest that you find out who did that to him. Because whoever did that to Danny was out to kill him." Lisa said seriously and compassionately but very concerned.

"What the hell are you saying?" Jack whispered angrily out of fear.

"Jack, you're a smart man. We both know that Danny didn't cut himself shaving. When I was cleaning him up, I clearly saw that what he has is a knife wound. Whoever did this, wanted to kill Danny but this time they only sent a warning. And I say that because he has hesitation marks. But they weren't hesitating because they weren't sure of what they were doing. No, they were only hesitating to show Danny that they could hurt or even kill him at any time." Lisa explained seriously but as gently as possible.

Lisa's words caused Jack to feel as if he'd been punched in the stomach and all the air had been sucked out of his lungs.

"But how can you be sure of that?" Jack said quietly but obviously shaken because he couldn't believe that someone could hurt Danny after everything that he'd been through, but Jack swore to himself that he'd find out who did this and they'd pay dearly for hurting his friend and agent, Danny Taylor.

"Jack, I know a knife wound when I see one. And that's not all I saw." Lisa explained gently but very concerned, both about Danny but also of Jack's reaction.

"What do you mean?" Jack said slightly fearful as he tried to regain his composure, but he had a sickening feeling that caused a hole to form in the pit of his stomach as if he'd been burned by acid--and the concerned look on Lisa's features didn't help matters at all.

"Jack, I can't be sure, but I'm almost positive that whoever did this was choking Danny while they cut him. Danny has an indentation on his throat that looks like a hand print." Lisa explained gently, causing Jack to run out of the lounge and into his office.

Jack was going to confront Danny and force him to tell him everything that had happened and what bastard had hurt him. But when he entered his office, Martin had placed a pillow under Danny's head and covered him with a blanket. So now, a very pale and frail-looking Danny lay there sleeping as sweat and tears stained every crevice of his face.

"You were with him first, Martin. What happened to him?" Jack whispered concerned and somewhat sternly out of fear but Martin could only sigh heavily and shake his head.

"I honestly don't know, Jack. A few minutes after he got back, I noticed the bleeding but it wasn't that bad." Martin whispered nervously.

"What do you mean, 'after he got back'? Where the hell did he go off to? Jack whispered sternly out of fear.

"Look, he…he's been agitated all morning and needed to cool off, so he left the office for a while. But I don't know where Danny went, Jack. I swear." Martin whispered nervously as he looked at Danny's shriveled body before him.

"Jack, what do you want me to do? By law, I am required to report all injuries." Lisa explained as gently as possible as she came into the office, but her words caused Danny to panic as he slept.

Danny may have been sleeping, but he still a keen sense of hearing and he'd heard everything they'd uttered, causing him to panic and thrash weakly as his breathing became erratic.

"Jack, no!" Danny cried weakly but panicked as his eyes remained closed and he breathed fast and heavily, causing Jack and Martin to snag his wavering hands in their own.

"Danny, Danny, calm down. You're okay. Come on. Come on, Danny-boy. Relax and slow down your breathing." Jack said sternly but compassionately as he tightened his grip on Danny's hand.

"Danny, I want you to calm down or I'm going to have you taken to the nearest emergency room." Lisa said sternly but caringly.

"No, please don't call anyone! Please!" Danny weakly cried completely panicked as he managed to open his eyes to a crack.

Danny was completely panicked but when he saw Lisa preparing a syringe, he completely lost it and struggled to get free as his eyes bugged out in sheer terror.

"No, leave me alone! Let me go!" Danny screamed barely audible as tears stained his face and Lisa wiped his arm with alcohol. "No, please don't hurt me anymore! I didn't tell anyone! Please!" He cried barely audible as he began to stop struggling.

It was clear to everyone that Danny was trapped in another reality. But his words caused everyone to confirm their suspicions that someone was hurting Danny. And when they found out who hurt their friend there would be hell to pay.

"Shhh. Danny, calm down. It's me, Lisa. You're safe at FBI Headquarters, Danny. Nobody's going to hurt you here and I promise that I won't tell anyone. Just get some rest for now, sweetie. You're safe here." Lisa said soothingly as she gently injected a medication into Danny's arm.

"Damn it! I told you that I didn't tell anyone!" Danny cried weakly until complete darkness took over.

"Lisa, what did you do to him?" Martin said fearfully as he took a tight grip of Danny's lifeless hand in his own.

"Calm down, Martin. I didn't have a choice. I had to give him a sedative to calm him down. With everything that he's been through, I couldn't let him panic anymore or his heart would've given out like before. Yeah, it's been six weeks, but he's still vulnerable." Lisa said sternly but compassionately.

Jack was going to say something but Viv and Sam entered the office, causing them to gasp in horror when they saw Danny's pale and lifeless body on Jack's couch.

"Jack, I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone anything although I am required by law to report Danny's attack. But if I'm going to keep quiet, all of you are going to have to keep a close eye on Danny and not leave him alone at all. And you're going to have to find out who the hell did this to him before you lose Danny." Lisa said seriously but as gently as possible.

"But, Jack, what happened to Danny? They're saying in the bullpen that you came out of the bathroom covered in Danny's blood." Sam said calmly but obviously fearful as her voice shook.

"Jack, you have to go put and end to that right now. Go." Lisa said seriously, causing Jack to leave the office and go to the bullpen.

While Jack stepped out, Lisa explained to Martin, Sam and Viv the same thing that she'd said to Jack and it caused them to gasp horrified. But they all agreed that some somebody was going to pay hell and wish they'd never messed with Danny Taylor.

Jack on the other end was in the bullpen yelling at everyone and angrily warned them that what they saw was to remain in the office. Jack also warned that anyone who spoke of Danny's condition again, would be fired immediately, causing everyone to look at Jack fearfully when they all agreed and he returned to his office-Jack Malone was not a man to be messed with and they all knew it.

"They won't be talking about it again if they know what's good for them. Now, does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on how to help him or what happened?" Jack said, still irate. "Martin, what about you? You said that he was agitated today and that's why he left to cool off. But I'm not stupid or blind, so don't lie to me. I saw you two arguing this morning. What was that all about?" Jack said sternly out of fear, causing Martin to sigh heavily.

"I promised him that I wouldn't say anything." Martin said nervously as he looked to the floor because he wouldn't dare look at Jack's angry stare--the look on Jack's face was so vicious that he felt as though Jack was burning a hole right through him.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." Jack said calmly but angrily as he glared at Martin, causing Martin to swallow hard and fearfully when he looked at Jack's face. "I don't give a rat's ass what you promised Danny or not. So, tell me right now what the hell that was all about." Jack said calmly but fumingly.

"Okay, Jack. Look, he's just been a bit agitated today and we talked a bit but then someone called him on his cell phone. I went back to my desk to give Danny some privacy. So, I don't know who Danny was talking to, but Danny was talking low and then got mad and ended the call. Then, he slammed the cell phone down on his desk. I asked him about it and he told me that it had been a wrong number." Martin said nervously.

"And you believed him?" Jack said crossly as he scoffed irately.

"No, I didn't believe him and I told him so. I told Danny that we both knew it wasn't a wrong number. But he got pissed off and told me to stay the hell out of it. Then, he left the office and came back like that. But he was only bleeding a little." Martin explained nervously.

"What was his reaction when he saw you, Martin?" Lisa asked gently but concerned.

"He was acting strange--like he felt bad about our fight and didn't know how to talk to me again, so he stayed by the door. But I saw him and went up to him. I told him that he shouldn't worry because we were still friends and I sat him down at his desk. That's when I noticed the blood." Martin explained nervously as he shook a bit.

"Relax and take a few deep breaths, Martin." Lisa said gently, causing her to continue when Martin took several breaths and calmed down. "Martin, what was his reaction when you saw the blood?" She asked gently and Martin tightened his hold on Danny's lifeless hand.

"I told him that he was bleeding. But he started shaking a little and his breathing became erratic like if he was trying to stifle a cry. I told him to calm down, that no one could see it. I also told him to pretend like nothing was wrong and to head to the bathroom, that I'd go set some bandages for him without anyone noticing." Martin said softly as he swallowed hard and blinked away his tears.

"I saw you with the bandages, Martin. You hid them in your pockets. I just didn't know that something was wrong with you guys. Why didn't you tell me anything?" Jack said a bit sternly but compassionately.

"I told you that I'd promised Danny that I wouldn't say anything to anyone." Martin said softly as he swallowed hard.

"Jack, I know that you're worried about Danny, but that attitude isn't going to make matters better, okay?" Lisa said a bit sternly but compassionately.

"Do you have any idea who could've called Danny?" Jack asked Martin with a heavy sigh.

Martin was going to answer Jack's question, when Danny began thrashing weakly. Because although Danny was sedated, he could still hear some of what the others were saying.

"Leave…alone! No…un…hurt me! Shaving!" Danny cried very weakly but fearfully as he struggled to move and fresh tears stained his face, causing Martin to hold his hand tightly in a brotherhood grip.

"Shhh. Calm down, brother. I've got you. You're going to be okay, you're safe." Martin reassured caringly as Danny cried weakly but terrified.

"No…die…all…you!" Danny cried weakly but terrified as he began gasping desperately for air and coughing violently.

"Damn it! Danny, Danny, calm down. You're safe, damn it and nothing's going to happen to any of us. So, calm your ass down right now and breathe." Jack said sternly and horrified as he took a tight hold of Danny's hand, causing Lisa to immediately check his vitals and grow very concerned when the wound on Danny's throat began to ooze blood again.

"I'm really sorry, Jack, but Danny needs a hospital right now. I'm losing him." Lisa said urgently as she called for paramedics.

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Hope all of you enjoyed this installment. As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and utilized.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Danny! Come on, Danny! You have to calm down, damn it! You're not dying, so wake the hell up!" Jack said urgently and angrily out of fear.

Just then, paramedics arrived at Jack's office with a gurney.

"What do we have?" The male paramedic asked urgently as they began treating Danny.

"Sean, we have to move now. His BP's 190/164, Pulse 150." The female paramedic said urgently.

"Take him to St. Luke's. He's also bleeding from a neck wound. Go." Lisa said urgently.

"I'm coming with him!" Martin said urgently as they wheeled Danny to the elevator.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but…" The female paramedic said somewhat sternly as they entered the elevator and everyone looked on fearfully.

"I'm not leaving him alone." Martin said with conviction.

"All right, you can come with us but don't interfere." Sean, the male paramedic, said urgently but compassionately as they rushed Danny into the ambulance and drove away with Martin.

When they reached the hospital five minutes later, Danny's vitals were more unstable. Danny was rushed inside but Martin wasn't allowed to be with him, so he was escorted to the waiting room where he anxiously awaited news of Danny.

"What have we got, people?!" Dr. Foster, the on-call doctor treating Danny, asked urgently as he gloved up and examined the blood gushing from Danny's throat.

"His name is Danny Taylor. BP's 190/14 and Pulse is 150. He's got a gash on his throat. When we got to headquarters, he was disoriented and going into shock from the blood loss." Sean, the paramedic, said urgently as Dr. Foster removed the bandage from Danny's throat and cleaned the blood with dressing and saline.

"I'm going to need a suture kit and start an IV on him." Dr. foster said urgently as he began suturing Danny's throat and the nurses administered drugs.

"The doctor that was at headquarters said that she treated him with 2mg Ativan because he was completely panicked." Sean, the paramedic, said somewhat urgently.

"You keep saying headquarters. What kind of job does he do?" Dr. Foster asked concerned as he finished suturing Danny's wounds, causing him to sigh frustrated and shake his head.

"He's an FBI Agent. What is it, Doc?" Sean, the paramedic, asked of a very concerned Dr. Foster.

"His boss needs to be notified of his injuries. He's got ligature marks on his throat. Someone tried to murder this young man." Dr. Foster said very seriously as he bandaged Danny's neck.

"No… unt… true! No… un… hurt… me!" Danny cried weakly but fearfully. "Please… et… go! Danny weakly cried panicked, causing Dr. Foster to put soft restraints on Danny, to prevent him from hurting himself, when he began struggling weakly to get out of bed.

"Calm down, Agent Taylor. You're going to be okay. You're safe here." Dr. Foster said a little sternly but compassionately.

"No! Let…go!. Danny weakly cried fearfully as he struggled to get free.

"Doc, maybe he'll calm down if he sees his partner. "Sean said concerned, causing Danny to cry more and very emotionally.

"Mart…here? Not… dead?" Danny cried weakly but very emotionally as he struggled to breathe, causing Dr. Foster to place an oxygen mask on his face.

"I'll let your partner come in here, Agent Taylor. But you have to calm down first. Is that understood?" Dr. Foster said somewhat sternly but compassionately, causing Danny to sag in defeat.

"Please…ee… him!" Danny weakly cried emotionally and fearfully as he tried hard to calm down and breathe.

"Very well, Agent Taylor. I'll allow you to see him, but only for a minute. All right?" Dr. Foster said compassionately.

Dr. Foster momentarily left Danny's room and went to the waiting room. When he got there, he immediately noticed the four people who were wearing suits and pacing the room like wild fire ants. He smiled sympathetically as he walked up to them.

"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Adam Foster. Are you here for Agent Taylor?" Dr. Foster asked kindly as they shook his hand and introduced themselves.

"Yeah, how is he, Doctor?". Jack asked calmly but concerned.

"I need you ladies and gentlemen to follow me right now. Come on." Dr. Foster said kindly but concerned.

Dr. Foster led them to an empty treatment room.

"What's going on, Doc? What condition is Danny in?" Martin asked calmly but fearfully.

"Agent Taylor's vitals were unstable when he came in. He was bleeding profusely from a wound on his throat. Now, we were able to stabilize him somewhat. But what concerns me the most at the moment is that wound." Dr. Foster explained as gently as possible.

"Wait a minute. What do you mean 'somewhat stable'?" Jack asked seriously but very concerned as he tried to keep his composure.

"Well, he's still unstable. But the reason he came in like that was because he thought that his partner was…was decease." Dr. Foster explained very gently and compassionately.

"What?!" The four agents gasped horrified.

"Please, all of you need to calm down because I'm not finished." Dr. Foster said a little sternly but compassionately, causing the team to quiet down. "As I said before, what concerns me right now is the wound on his throat. I've been a doctor for more than thirty years and I've seen wounds like the ones on Agent Taylor. And I can tell you that Agent Taylor is one of the lucky ones." Dr. Foster explained concerned and as gently as possible.

"What are you saying?" Jack asked somewhat angrily out of fear.

"I'm saying that I don't believe Agent Taylor's wounds were an accident like he's claiming. No one cuts themselves like that shaving. He has ligature marks on his throat consistent with strangulation. That wound was also smooth, so it seems to have been caused by a knife with a smooth, not jagged, blade. But I think that you may be able to figure out who tried to kill Agent Taylor." Dr. Foster explained gently.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked urgently as she shook a little an she wiped away the tears that fell from her eyes.

"Well, whoever did this made a mistake and didn't have gloves on because Agent Taylor has several fingerprint impressions on his throat. But I can tell you that whoever did this to Agent Taylor, wanted him dead." Dr. Foster said very concerned.

Jack was going to say something, when there was a knock at the door and Sean, the paramedic, entered the room.

"Dr. Foster, there's something that you need to see." Sean said calmly but very concerned.

"Does it involve Agent Taylor?" Dr. Foster asked concerned, causing Sean to sigh heavily and nod. "Okay, all of you come with me. But don't mention these suspicions or he'll lose control again. Just tell him that you're there to make sure that he's okay. And by the way, I had to place soft restraints on his wrists and feet because he tried to get up from the gurney when we were treating him. So, don't be shocked when you see him. Let's go." He said concerned and they all headed back to Danny's treatment room.

When they got to his room, Danny had already been changed into a hospital gown. He was also hooked up to an oxygen mask, heart and blood pressure monitors and two IV's, causing Danny to cry weakly when he saw his team there with him?

"Shhh. Calm down, Agent Taylor. You know the deal." Dr. Foster said a little sternly but compassionately as he checked Danny's vitals, causing Danny to take slow breaths as he cried weakly.

Sean whispered to the doctor, prompting Dr. Foster to close the curtain to give Danny some privacy. When Dr. Foster opened Danny's hospital gown, he sighed heavily at what he saw before him, causing Sean to nod and sigh heavily as well.

Dr. Foster sighed heavily when he opened Danny's gown, because Danny's abdominal and groin area were very badly bruised--as if he'd been beaten, causing Danny to gasp and cry in excruciating pain when Dr. Foster, as gently as possible, examined him.

"Aaaaagh! St…op!" Danny gasped and cried in excruciating pain as he began shaking violently, causing his vitals to skyrocket out of control.

"Calm down and breathe. I know that it hurts but I'm giving you something for the pain. Come on. Here we go, kiddo. Just breathe nice and slow." Dr. Foster said compassionately as he injected a pain medication into Danny's IV that caused him to cry in relief when his pain lessened less than a minute later.

"Okay, buddy, just breathe slowly and calm down so that you can see your friend." Sean said caringly as he held Danny's hand.

"Friends? Not…dead…yet? Not…true…not…safe." Danny cried somewhat incoherently a the drugs began to take effect and he became drowsy.

The team heard his words and it caused their eyes to widen in horror. Dr. Foster, too, became concerned and decided to cover up Danny's body to give him some privacy when he opened the curtain again.

"Calm down, Agent Taylor. Look, your friends are right here with you. But I need you to calm down." Dr. Foster explained a little sternly but compassionately.

"Not…true…dead. Dead…'cause…me. Told…Mart…" Danny cried weakly, causing Martin to grab a tight hold of his hand in a brotherhood grip.

"Damn it. That's not true, Danny. We're all here with you and we're not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise." Martin said with conviction as tears escaped his eyes.

"Sorry…Fitzy. He killed…you…'cause…told…you. No…wit..ess. I'm…sorry." Danny cried barely audible and conscious as he weakly gasped for air, causing Martin to tighten his hold.

"Just get some sleep, brother. I swear on my life that I'm going to find out who did this to you. And they're going to pay for hurting you. I swear." Martin said with conviction as tears stained his face and he held Danny's hand in a tight, brotherhood grip.

"Fit…zy, sorry…for…etting…you…killed. For…ive…me." Danny cried weakly and barely conscious, causing Martin to squeeze his hand tightly out of fear and anger.

"Damn it. Stop talking like that, Danny. You didn't do a damn thing wrong. And I swear that I'm going to find the son of a bitch who's putting you through this and they're going to regret the day they screwed with you. And I promise that we're not going to let anything happen to you. But right now, I want you to get some sleep and rest, okay can you do that for me, brother?" Martin said softly but caringly as tears stained every crevice of his face.

"He's…onna…kill…me…now…or…telling…you." Danny cried fearfully but barely audible as he struggled to breathe and remain awake, causing Martin to huff angrily and hold the back of Danny's head and carefully force Danny to look at him.

"You listen to me and you listen well. Nobody's going to come anywhere near you. And I'll kill the son of bitch first if he tries to get near you. Do you understand me?" Martin said sternly out of fear but then took a deep breath to calm down. "Look, just…just get some sleep. We're going to stay right here with you. We're not going to let anyone hurt you again. I promise. Get some sleep, brother. You're safe, okay? You're safe." Martin said caringly as more tears escaped his eyes and he continued holding on for dear life to Danny.

Danny was exhausted and afraid as he looked at Martin and struggled to remain awake. He cried weakly but fearfully, causing Martin to shake his head as more tears escaped his eyes.

"It's okay to sleep, brother. You're safe, I promise." Martin said caringly and with conviction as he tightened his brotherhood grip on Danny's hand, causing Danny to stop struggling and give in to some much needed sleep.

Martin sat at Danny's side for several minutes without saying a word to anyone, when suddenly released Danny's hand and began breathing furiously.

"Calm down, buddy. You have to cool off because you know that he'll start panicking again if he senses you like this. Come on. Let's go take a walk." Sean said compassionately as he gently dragged Martin out of the room.

"Al right, he's gone now. So, tell me what else you found when you checked him out just now." Jack said somewhat gruffly out of fear.

"I don't know if I should…" Dr. Foster tried to explain gently but Jack cit him off abruptly.

"Look, we're Danny's emergency contacts. So, I think we have a right to know what else is wrong with him." Jack said gruffly as he sighed in both anger and frustration.

"All right, I'll tell you. But this information cannot leave this room." Dr. Foster explained seriously but compassionately, causing him to continue when the team nodded. "Apparently, the wound on his throat, is not the only injury that Agent Taylor has. He's also got severe bruising on his abdominal and groin area. Now, I'm not certain at the moment how serious his injuries are, so I'm going to order several tests to rule out any other injuries he may have. But I am warning all of you now--do not mention to Agent Taylor that you know of these injuries. It is very quite obvious that someone's threatening him. And if Agent Taylor becomes aware, he's going to have another breakdown. And right now, in his current state, I can't guarantee that I'll be ale to get him back." Dr. Foster explained as gently as possible, causing Jack, Sam and Vivian to gasp horrified.

"I'm sorry. But if you'll excuse me, I have to go order Agent Taylor's tests. If you need anything, just let myself or my staff know and we'll help any way we can. But if there's nothing else, I'll be back in a little while to check on Agent Taylor." Dr. Foster said compassionately as he shook the team's hands and left the room.

"Oh, my God. Jack, what are we going to do now?" Sam said softly but shocked as she covered her mouth and tears escaped her eyes.

"We're going to catch the son of a bitch who did this to Danny and make him pay. But the first thing we're going to do is make sure that Danny's safe. So, I'm going to have two agents posted at Danny's side at all times." Jack quietly said gruffly.

"Jack, if you do that, it's going to make matters worse. You already saw Danny's reaction. What makes you think that he's not going to panic when he sees armed agents at his door?" Viv whispered seriously and concerned.

"He's not going to know any different because on if us is going to be one of the armed agents. And I'm also going to call in Jeff Carmichael to be the other agent. Danny is good friends with Jeff already. So, I don't see any reason why Danny would suspect that Jeff is actually here to protect him. To Danny, he'll just be a good friend making sure that he's okay and well taken care of." Jack whispered calmly.

"Okay, fine. But what are we going to do about Martin? You know him, Jack. Martin is hell-bent right now and he's out for blood." Sam whispered seriously and concerned.

"That's why I'm going to keep Martin here at the hospital with Danny while we investigate Danny's assault. I know how close Danny and Martin are, especially after the ambush. He's not going to object when I tell him that he has to stay here." Jack whispered knowingly with a very small smile.

"Jack, we both know that Martin isn't just going sit down and do nothing. He won't stop at any cost until he finds the bastard that's threatening Danny. And while we're on the subject, who the hell would want to hurt Danny and why--especially after the hell he's been through?" Viv whispered somewhat angrily.

"I don't know that yet,Viv, but when I find out who's doing this to him, they're going to pay hell." Jack quietly whispered angrily but then took a breath to calm down.

"Okay, so first thing's first. While he's asleep, I want pictures taken of all of Danny's injuries. And also…" Jack whispered as he quietly looked through Danny's personal belongings and got his phone. "…I'm going to need you and Sam to take this phone down to the lab and have them run it. I want to know who's been calling him, because whoever called him this morning, had to had to have been calling him more than once." Jack whispered with conviction as he gave Danny's phone to Viv.

"Jack, he's going to realize that his phone is missing. What are you going to tell him when he asks? And how do we know that whoever did this, isn't watching Danny? Come on, Jack. You heard what Danny said. He said that were all dead because he told us something. And that he was next because that sick bastard couldn't have witnesses. Now how the hell do you explain that?" Sam quietly whispered angrily out of fear as she wiped the tears that fell from her eyes, causing Jack to sigh heavily and gently squeeze her shoulder.

"Sam, we all have to take a deep breath and calm down. Okay? I know how you feel because we all care about Danny and feel the same way about that sick bastard. But we still have a job to do and we can't let our emotions get in the way of that--yet, because I'm not sure what I'll do when I get that sick, son of a bitch in front of me." Jack quietly whispered caringly and with conviction as he took a breath and tried to regain his composure.

"Okay, now, about the phone. If he asks for his phone, I'll just tell him that I locked it away in my office so it wouldn't get lost or stolen here." Jack whispered calmly but stopped talking when Sean returned to the room with a now pale Martin as dry tears stained his face.

"Martin, are you okay?" Viv asked caringly but concerned but Martin just blinked lost as he stared at Danny.

"Martin, look at me." Jack said concerned as he gently shook Martin but he remained lost and wouldn't answer. "What the hell is wrong with him?" Jack whispered gruffly out of concern.

"Calm down, Sir. He's going to be out of it for quite a while. He was so angry and frightened for his partner, that Dr. Foster had to inject him with a sedative when he tried to throw a chair in the lounge." Sean explained gently but Jack looked at him suspiciously.

"Wait a minute. You're the paramedic who picked Danny up at headquarters. Why are you still here?" Jack asked gruffly and suspiciously as he suddenly became protective of Martin as well and protectively pushed Martin behind him.

"Calm down, Agent Malone. This is my colleague Dr. Sean Novak. He's still here because he ended his shift. Not only is he a part-time paramedic, he also works here. I've also known Sean since he was in diapers. So, you can relax because he's not going to hurt anyone--much less your agents." Dr. Foster said kindly as he walked into the room, causing Jack to sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry. But you have to understand…" Jack said with a heavy sigh but couldn't continue when Sean cut him off and shook his head.

"No, it's not a problem. Your concern your agents' safety is understandable. But you also have to calm down in order to find out who did this to Agent Taylor." Sean said compassionately but Jack could only look at Martin concerned.

"He's going to be okay, Agent Malone. I only gave him a small dose of sedative to calm him down when he tried to throw a chair in the lounge." Dr. Foster explained compassionately, when an orderly suddenly showed up in the room with a gurney.

"Who are you?" Jack said gruffly out of concern for Danny's safety.

"Agent Malone, this is Kevin. He's here to transport Agent Taylor to the test that I ordered. Calm down. Agent Taylor is safe here. We're not going to let anyone hurt him. Now, I've only given access of Agent Taylor to only a few of my most trusted staff. But for your security, they will all present their hospital identifications. Isn't that right, Kevin?" Dr. Foster said a bit sternly but compassionately.

"Yes Sir, Dr. Foster." Kevin, the orderly, said respectfully as he gave his ID to Jack.

"All right, go ahead." Jack said a bit gruffly as returned the ID to Kevin. "Where is he taking him?" Jack asked seriously.

"I'm concerned about Agent Taylor's injuries, so I ordered several tests for him--CT of the entire body, blood work, rapid HIV/AIDS Test…" Dr. Foster explained as gently s possible but the team quickly cut him off..

"What?!" Jack exclaimed horrified as he blanched a little.

"Please, calm down. I'm only doing that as a precaution because of the knife wound on his throat. I also have to run other tests to make sure that he doesn't have any other injuries that I'm not aware of. I'm going to help Agent Taylor any way that I can." Dr. Foster said compassionately as they gently laid Danny on the gurney.

"All right. Then I'm going to need your help. I'm going to need pictures of all of Danny's injuries, especially the wound on his throat and the fingerprints and ligature marks that you said you saw." Jack quietly whispered somewhat gruffly as he sighed heavily.

"Don't worry, Agent Malone. I'll personally take the pictures." Dr. Foster said kindly as they gently covered Danny with a blanket.

"Don't worry, Sir. Your agent is in very good hands. I'll bring him back safely." Kevin said respectfully and then they gently wheeled Danny out of the room.

Danny blood was drawn and CT Scans taken. Dr. Foster and Sean, took pictures of every single injury Danny had--especially the knife wound and fingerprints on Danny's throat. After finishing taking care of Danny, Dr. Foster and Sean went ahead to Danny's room to talk with Jack and left Kevin to take him back.

Danny was once again hooked up to oxygen, heart and blood pressure monitors. But what he wasn't aware of, was that someone was silently watching in pleasure at his lifeless body. The stranger stood leering in the shadows until the large, American male who stood at 6ft 3in and weighed in at 250lb, noticed how he was looking at Danny.

Damn it. Think. You can't kill Danny here. Just play it cool and remember that you don't want to be bring attention to yourself. You don't want any witnesses. You'll get your chance, buddy. Danny will pay for what he's done and so will his friends. They too will suffer the pain they've caused you--ten-fold. They will soon find out the true meanings of the words pain and humiliation, the stranger silently chastised himself when he saw a muscular Kevin heading toward him.

"Can I help you?" Kevin said seriously and with a gruff look on his face--he'd seen the enjoyment on the stranger's face as he stared at the young agent and he didn't like it one bit as he stood protective of Danny.

"I was just looking for my brother, Danny. I guess he had a hell of party last night." The stranger said smiling as he gestured with his hands as if drinking a beer.

But of course it's all lies. I could never be related to a pathetic excuse for a human being like you, Danny Taylor. Enjoy your freedom, Danny. It's going to end soon. Soon you'll all pay for what you did to us.--the stranger silently spat viciously.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kevin said calmly but gruffly as he grabbed the stranger's hand when he tried to touch Danny. "Don't…touch him. Now, if I have to ask you again, I'm going to have security escort you out of the hospital. Who are you and what do you want?" Kevin quietly said gruffly as he sternly glared at the stranger, causing the stranger to swallow his rage.

"I told you that I'm here looking for Danny. He's my brother. He just had a lot to drink last night and I wanted to make sure that he was okay." The stranger said calmly but clearly aggravated.

"Why didn't you just say so? I'll just need to see your ID and you can spend all the time you want with your brother alone upstairs." Kevin said in a somewhat mocking tone, causing him to smile evilly at the stranger's irate features.

The wicked stranger was going to say something else, when Danny suddenly began groaning and thrashing weakly.

"Just forget it. Let him drink himself to death if he wants to waste his damn life drinking. But I won't let him waist another cent of my money trying to get him clean. Well, I've had enough. Go ahead and clean up after that miserable drunk if you want, because I'm sure as hell not going to waist another minute of my time." The stranger said quietly but very irate and then stormed off right before Danny opened his eyes to slits.

"Hmm? What's going on? Where am I?" Danny quietly said pained as he held his throat, causing Kevin to gently squeeze his shoulder and wheel him into the elevator.

"Don't worry about a thing, kid. You're going to be fine. But for now, let's go get you back to your room. The hot nurses are all lining up to take care of the sexy Agent Taylor." Kevin teased smiling, causing Danny to weakly growl and wag his eyebrows.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting any longer." Danny said weakly as he smiled and wagged his eyebrows again as the elevator door closed, causing Kevin to be heard laughing loudly as the elevator took them to their destination.

But there wasn't any pleasure in it for the stranger as he stood in the shadows once again and silently roared enraged.

Laugh while you still can, Taylor. You and your worthless friends won't be laughing anymore soon enough. I will have my revenge and what a revenge it will be--the stranger silently sneered evilly and then went off into the shadows away from Danny Taylor.

For now…

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Well, I appreciate the reviews that I've gotten so far because they've inspired me to continue with this story--even when I've felt it as a lost cause at times. Anyway, Hope you've enjoyed it. So, should I stop here and leave poor Danny alone? It's up to all of you who've read this story until now. You decide.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: There is minor mention of Danny's alcoholism, but I've lost track of his sobriety so please don't hold it against me. R and R if you'd like. Feedback is always appreciated and helps a lot. Thanks for the reviews so far. Enjoy.

Chapter 5

Kevin wheeled Danny through the hall once they got off the elevator. He laughed as Danny weakly charmed the pretty nurses with his I'm sick routine.

"How are you feeling today, Agent Taylor?" Vicky, his personal nurse asked as she gently squeezed his shoulder.

"I feel very sick. I don't know if I…" Danny teased but then suddenly his eyes closed and his body limped.

"Agent Taylor? Agent Taylor?" Vicky said very concerned as she rubbed her fist against Danny's chest but he didn't respond, causing Kevin to quickly rush Danny into his room as Vicky grabbed a crash cart.

When Danny was rushed into his room, Dr. Foster immediately knew that something had happened. So, he got Jack, Sam and Viv out of the room and shut the door and curtains.

"What happened to him?" Dr. Foster said urgently as he checked Danny's vitals.

"I don't know. He was joking about not feeling well when he suddenly passed out. I tried painful stimuli but he isn't responding to it." Vicky said urgently as she hooked Danny up to an oxygen mask.

"Do we have the results for his CT yet?" Dr. Foster said seriously as he injected a medication into Danny's IV.

"They said the results won't be ready for another forty-five minutes because they have too many patients." Kevin said very concerned when Danny suddenly began groaning pained.

"Agent Taylor, I need you to open your eyes for me. Do you understand me? Good, that's very good, Agent Taylor. Now, follow the light with your eyes but don't move your head." Dr. Foster said gently but became concerned when Danny tightly closed his eyes and began breathing erratically.

"Calm down, kid. You're safe here. You're okay. Remember, all the pretty nurses are waiting just to take care of the very sexy Agent Taylor. You don't want to make them wait any longer, do you?" Kevin teased lightly but concern was evident in his voice as he gently squeezed Danny's hand in his own.

That kind gesture, was enough to make Danny calm down his erratic breathing. He began to breathe slowly but surely and his vitals stabilized after several anxious minutes, causing Kevin to carefully tighten his grip on Danny's hand when tears escaped Danny's eyes.

"Calm down, kid. No one's is going to hurt you on my watch. Now, what do you have to say to pretty Nurse Vicky here? Hmm?" Kevin said smiling amused, causing Danny to sigh weakly as he grinned a beautiful smile to her and weakly wagged his eyebrows.

"I'm a very sick boy. How about you take care of me while I'm stuck in this place?" Danny softly said smiling as he weakly wagged his eyebrows, causing Kevin and Dr. Foster to inevitably laugh amused when Vicky reddened embarrassed.

"Take it easy, Agent Taylor. I think you've had enough excitement for one day. I'm going to leave Nurse Vicky here taking care of you until I come back with your results." Dr. Foster said kindly as he smiled but Danny knew concern when he heard it.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked weakly but somewhat fearfully again.

"Nothing at all. I just ran some normal tests to make sure that everything is okay." Dr. Foster said kindly as he smiled.

"What…tests?" Danny said weakly but slightly fearful.

"Nothing bad. I just ordered a CT because your friends tell me that you were hurt recently and I just want to make sure that you're okay. So, you just relax and I'll be right back shortly to check up on you." Dr. Foster said kindly and then left the room, causing Kevin to follow him.

"Doc, please wait. I need to speak with you." Kevin said very concerned as he looked toward a now entertained Danny Taylor who's face Vicky was gently soaking with a wet washcloth.

"What is it, Kevin?" Dr. Foster said concerned, but Jack quickly cut in.

"Why do you keep looking at my Agent like that?" Jack said more gruffly than he meant to be.

"What did I tell you, Agent Malone? I told you that Kevin is only here to care for Agent Taylor. So, stop the threatening attitude. Look, I know that you're worried about him, but being spiteful towards my staff for trying to help Agent Taylor, isn't going to help him. You must trust me. My staff and I only have Agent Taylor's best interest at heart." Dr. Foster said a bit sternly but compassionately and then looked towards Kevin.

"Now, what did you want to speak to me about, Kevin?" Dr. Foster asked concerned as he once again looked at Danny. "Does it concern Agent Taylor?" He asked concerned.

"As a matter of fact, it does." Kevin explained cautiously as he moved away from Jack a little. "When I was waiting downstairs to bring Agent Taylor back up, I noticed that a guy was standing in the far corner looking at him. But it was more than that. He was looking at Taylor as if he enjoyed seeing him lifeless. I confronted him and he said that he was Agent Taylor's brother. He also said that Agent Taylor had gotten drunk last night and that's why he ended up here." Kevin explained very cautiously, causing him to look away from Jack when Jack gave him a look that would scare even the dead.

"What did you do, Kevin?" Dr. Foster asked very concerned as he purposefully stood blocking Jack's view, hoping to calm the irate man.

"I didn't trust him and told him that I was going to call security when he tried to touch Agent Taylor. That's when he told me that he was Agent Taylor's brother. I knew that there wasn't something right about him. So, I told him that all he had to do was show me his ID and that I'd let him be with Agent Taylor alone." Kevin explained concerned, causing Sam, Viv and Dr. Foster to grab a hold of Jack when he tried to pounce on Kevin.

"You what?!" Jack roared furiously as they grabbed him tightly .

"Kevin, wait for me in the lounge. Go." Dr. Foster ordered seriously and then turned to Jack.

"That is enough, Agent Malone. If you do not calm down and stop trying to attack my staff, I'll have to remove you from the hospital. Now, I don't want to do that. But your actions aren't helping anyone--much less Agent Taylor. So, unless you want to upset him further, calm down and I'll let you and your agents take a statement from Kevin. This is still a hospital, Agent Malone and there are a lot of sick patients here and don't you forget it. Do I make myself clear on the matter?" Dr. Foster said sternly but compassionately, causing Jack to huff angrily but then he sighed very heavily as he took a deep breath and tried to calm down.

"Follow me." Dr. Foster said seriously and then led the team to the lounge where Kevin was waiting. "Kevin, the agents are going to take your statement now. But I need to know what happened with the gentleman who was claiming to be Agent Taylor's brother." Dr. Foster said kindly but concerned.

"He got mad and told me to forget it. That Agent Taylor was a miserable drunk and that he wasn't going to waste anymore of his money trying to get him clean. That's when he told me to clean up after his mess if I wanted, but that he wasn't going to waste anymore of his time and then he stormed off. That's when Agent Taylor woke up downstairs." Kevin said cautiously as he looked toward Malone.

He couldn't believe it. A man as big as he was, afraid a stubby agent like Malone. Hell, who was he kidding. The older man looked like he ate nails for breakfast. There was no way he'd piss the agent off again--not if he treasured his neck.

"Do you think that you could describe the man to one of our sketch artists?" Viv asked as she put a hand on Jack's arm to calm him down.

"Yes, Ma'am. There's no way that I can forget a face like that." Kevin said with a slight shudder.

"Why do you say that?" Sam asked concerned, not certain that she wanted to know the answer, especially if that man turned out to be the animal who was hurting Danny.

"I just can't get his look out of my mind--the way he looked at Agent Taylor. And when he tried to touch him, he wasn't going for the arm. His hand tried reaching for Agent Taylor's throat but I grabbed it and pushed him away. He got mad but he kept trying to keep his cool by saying that Taylor had one too many beers last night and that's how he ended up here." Kevin said a bit on edge as the team jotted down notes.

Jack, Sam and Viv gave each other a concerned look and they all pointed at each other as they talked all at once.

"Jack, we all know that Danny doesn't drink. He's been clean and sober for ten years now. Whoever's doing this may not know that." Sam said nervously but Jack and Viv shook their heads.

"Or maybe it's someone from Danny's drinking days that he had an altercation with and now the guy's seeking revenge on Danny for whatever reason." Viv said as she gestured with her hands.

"If that's the case, we need to look into his past. Go back to the office and find out everything you can on Danny's past. Find out who his drinking buddies were, where he used to hang out, if someone still holds a grudge against him for any reason. You know the drill. I also want the LUDS on Danny's home and cell phones. We know that the bastard called him this morning. So, it's likely that the son of a bitch has called Danny repeatedly. So, you two head to the office." Jack said somewhat gruffly as he took command again.

"What about you, Jack? What are you going to do?" Sam asked concerned but she already knew the answer.

"I'm staying here with Martin and Danny, Sam. I already called Jeff and he's on his way over here. So, go. You guys head back to the office and call for the sketch artist to take Kevin's description." Jack said with a heavy sigh as he pinched the bride of his nose, causing Viv and Sam to look at him sympathetically as Viv gently squeezed his arm.

"We'll be back later, Jack. But don't worry about our boys. Danny and Martin didn't let Dornvald defeat them. Just like Danny's not going to give up because of this bastard. So, you keep your cool for now. Because when we find this animal, he's going to regret the day he ever messed with Danny." Viv said quietly but with conviction. Causing Jack to sigh heavily and smile at her.

"Thanks, Viv. I really needed that. I'll see you girls, later. Oh, and remember to make sure that no one at the office talks about anything that's going on." Jack said kindly as he smiled a bit sadly and with that, Viv and Sam left the hospital.

Twenty minutes later, the sketch showed up and took Kevin's description. She gave a copy of the computerized sketch to Jack and then returned to the office to give another copy to Viv and Sam. Jack held the picture in his hands and glared viciously at it. He was looking at it, when Martin suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed the sketch from his hands.

"What the…" Jack said angrily but quickly stopped short when he saw that it was Martin. "Martin, what are you doing out of bed? I don't need you passing out like Danny too. Come here. Sit your ass down." Jack said a bit gruffly out of concern, but compassionate as he gently sat Martin down on the couch.

"What are you doing with his picture?" Martin asked confused, causing Jack to become concerned.

"Martin, do you know who this guy is?" Jack asked concerned, his concern growing when Martin nodded confused.

"Yeah, that's Danny's cousin. I was coming into work one day and he told me that he was looking for Danny. I told him that Danny hadn't shown up for work yet and if he needed anything else. We talked for a few minutes and then he left." Martin said still a bit sluggish from the sedative that Dr. Foster.

"Martin, what did you guys talk about? How long did you talk for? What did he say when he left?" Jack said as his concern, anger and fear grew knowing that the bastard had been at the office and he'd not even realized it.

"He said that he recognized all of us because Danny's always telling him stories and because Danny has a Christmas picture of all of us together. Then he asked about how your girls were doing and about Sam and Viv. Jack, what's with the third degree? And you still haven't told me why you have a picture of Danny's…" Martin said somewhat angrily and then as suddenly the realization that he'd been talking to Danny's torturer hit him like a bucket of ice-water as he gasped horrified and went bug-eyed as he tried to stand up--only to be sat down again by Jack.

"Martin, Martin, calm down. Calm down and breathe, damn it." Jack said sternly out of fear as Martin gasped in both fear and anger.

"Son of a bitch! He came to the office! I had him right in front of me! I should've known. I'm going to kill the fucking bastard!" Martin said viscously as he tried to get up.

Jack tried to calm him down, but Martin wouldn't hear it. So, he did the only thing he could do given the circumstances. He grabbed a pitcher of ice-water that was for doctors to drink, and poured the entire contents on Martin, causing him to gasp and cough violently when the water hit him like a ton of bricks.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sean said harshly when he saw Jack throw the ice-water on Martin, causing him to quickly grab a blanket and towels from the cabinet and wrap Martin with them as he viscously glared at Jack.

"Stay out of it. He lost it and it was the only way I could calm him down." Jack said angrily but kept his voice at a minimum because he knew that Danny was close by.

"Then maybe I should do that to you. Because, your attitude hasn't exactly been civilized either." Sean said sternly but couldn't continue when another man showed up in the room.

"Jack, what the hell happened to Martin?" Jeff Carmichael said flustered as he entered the lounge.

"Your friend threw a pitcher of ice-water on him." Sean said as he viciously glared at Jack. " Come on, kid. Let's get you out of these wet clothes. I'll give you some clean scrubs to wear." Sean said kindly but concerned as he led Martin carefully out of the lounge.

"Why did you do that?" Jeff asked seriously.

"Sit down. We need to talk about what's going on with Danny." Jack said sighing heavily as they both sat down.

Jack told Jeff everything that had happened to Danny that morning. He was shocked and outraged at the bastard who'd hurt his good friend Danny Taylor and tried hurting the rest of the team--his family. But he vowed that if he found Danny's attacker, the bastard would remember the name 'Jeff Carmichael' for as long as he lived.

"So, what do you need me to do, Jack? Whatever it is, I'll do it--no questions asked." Jeff said kindly but with conviction.

"I don't want Danny to know that we know about this bastard because then we'll lose him. The bastard already came here today and who knows what he was planning to do or what he's planning to do next. I can't very well put armed agents at his door, so that's when you come in. I want you and one of us from the team, protecting him without Danny knowing it." Jack said with a sad smile, causing Jeff to chuckle softly.

"So, you figured that since me and Danny are good friends, that he won't even suspect that he's being protected or that there's an investigation. Of course I'll watch out for him, Jack. You didn't even have to ask. Now, about you. Why don't you go grab something to eat and try to cool off? I know that you're angry right now, buddy. But you can't go around here trying to hurt everyone for being around the boys. And we both know that you were damn wrong to throw that water on Martin when you said yourself that you've been acting the same way. So, next time you're pissed off, let me know and throw your ass in the river outside." Jeff said slightly sternly but then chuckled when Jack glared at him.

"You're lucky that I've dealt with your ass for ten years. Otherwise, I would've kicked your ass for your smart ass remarks." Jack chuckled slightly amused. "Anyway, enough talking. I'm going to head down to security to see if they have any video of that son of a bitch. You go with Danny and keep and eye on Martin." Jack said as he walked out of the lounge and Jeff headed to Danny's room.

When Jeff got to Danny's room, Vicky was gently cleaning his wounds and there was Danny swooning over her and giving her a lost puppy dog look which caused him to move into her touch when she softly scratched his head.

"Stop trying to keep the hot nurses for yourself, Taylor. Leave some for the rest of us." Jeff teased amused, causing him and Nurse Vicky to laugh when Danny reddened and his eyes crinkled in mirth.

"I'll leave you two alone now. Press the call button if you need me, Agent Taylor, and I'll be here right away." Nurse Vicky said warmly as she smiled and softly soothed his head before she left the room.

"You jerk, you scared away The Future Mrs. Taylor." Danny chuckled amused, causing Jeff to laugh and then Jeff grabbed on to his hand. "What are you doing here?" He asked smiling.

"I came to see if you needed anything. They told me that you were brought here and…" Jeff said caringly and then he mocked gasped. "…ouch, that's a pretty nasty cut. Were you shaving with the real blades, like at the barber shop? I told you not to use those." Jeff said with a sympathetic smile that caused Danny's heart to constrict as he held on tighter to Jeff's hand. "What's wrong, kiddo? Is there something you want to tell me? Hmm?" Jeff said kindly but Danny couldn't tell him, causing Danny to hold onto him tighter when tears escaped his eyes.

"Hey, talk to me, kiddo. What's wrong? You know that you can always count on me. Come on." Jeff said caringly but he grew concerned.

"Tell me the truth." Danny cried softly, barely audible as tears stained his face.

"What truth, buddy? Hmm?" Jeff asked concerned.

"Martin's dead and Jack doesn't want to tell me." Danny quietly cried pained as he held his chest, causing Jeff to gasp horrified.

"Jesus! Danny, what the hell are you talking about, kiddo?! Martin isn't dead. He's in a room across the hall getting changed into some dry clothes because spilled coffee all over his clothes. Why would you think, kiddo? Hmm? Talk to me." Jeff aid calmly but horrified as he tightly held Danny's hand.

"I can't. I don't want anybody to die." Danny quietly cried fearfully as he tightly held Jeff's hand.

"Nobody's going to die, Danny. Please, just talk to me. No matter what happens, I'm not going to let anything happen to you or our friends. Please, just talk to me. Why did you think that Martin was dead, kiddo? I swear that I'll protect you, kiddo. But you have to tell me what's wrong." Jeff pushed on against the hard lump that caught in his throat.

"He said that he killed Martin first because I told Martin. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. That was the deal. Nobody would die if I did what he wanted. But now he's going to go after the team and their families. This is all my fault. I should've kept my damn mouth shut. It's my fault it happened. Aaaaagh!" Danny quietly cried in excruciating pain as he held his chest, causing Jeff to carefully embrace him protectively tight.

"Shhh. It's okay, Danny, just breathe. None of this is your fault and nobody's going to die, I promise. I swear that I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the team. Come on, breathe. Shhh. Just breathe, kiddo, you're safe. You're safe here." Jeff said as he continued holding Danny and the tears that he'd holding back, finally escaped his eyes.

"No, I'll never be safe from him. Even after all these years, he found me again. He's not going to stop until he kills the team and then he's going to finish what he started. He's not going to stop. It's my fault. It's all my fault." Danny quietly cried frantically as he shook violently, causing Jeff to hold him tighter.

"Shhh. Calm down, kiddo. Calm down. None of this is your fault. I'm not going anywhere, okay? But I need you to take some deep breaths for me because I don't want anything to happen to you. Okay? Can you breathe for me? Come on. Take slow breaths for me." Jeff said caringly, causing Danny to breathe and calm down a little.

"That's good, kiddo. You did great." Jeff said caringly and then paused as he took a few calming breaths himself before he could continue. "Danny, there's one more thing that I have to know, okay. I have to. What happened to your throat, kiddo?" Jeff asked very gently, causing Danny to cringe and quietly cry as he shook his head. "Please, I want to help you." he said softly as his voice shook and he held Danny tighter.

"He…tried to kill me this morning but I got away from him. He called me on the phone and said that if I didn't meet with him, he was going to have one of his men kill Martin. So, I went. But when I got to our usual meeting place, one of his guys tied my hands behind my back and held me up by my hair. That's when he pulled the knife and told me that our game had gotten boring and that it was time for me to pay for what I'd done. I fought like hell and I kicked his goon to the floor. When I tried to run, that's when he sliced my throat with the knife but I kept running anyway. I was able to get away from him and a homeless guy cut off the rope with a knife when he saw me trying to run. Hell, I gave him the ninety bucks I had on me and hauled ass back to the office." Danny quietly cried emotionally as he shook.

"Shhh. It's okay. I swear that I'm going to find the son of a bitch hurting you and they'll never forget me as long they live. They're going to regret ever messing with you and the team. Nobody fuck's with my family. Nobody." Jeff said with conviction as tears of anger escaped his eyes.

"Danny?" A voice cried softly, causing Danny and Jeff to turn around and see Martin at the door crying softly--apparently, he and Sean had heard their entire conversation.

"Martin?" Danny quietly cried emotionally. "You didn't lie, Jeff. He's not dead. He's not dead." Danny quietly cried somewhat like a child as he smiled a little and shook, causing him to cry more when Martin embraced tightly in a brotherhood embrace.

"Hell no, brother. Of course I'm not dead and nothing's going to happen to any of us--not you, me, Jack, Sam, Viv, Jeff, none of us. You're not going to let that bastard kick you down, are you? Just like we beat Dornvald, we're going to beat this sick son of a bitch 'til the end and then we're going to make him pay for putting you through hell. So, what do you say, brother? Are you going to stand up and fight with us or are you going to let that bastard win and push us away? Answer me?" Martin softly cried with conviction as he tightly held Danny in a powerful but careful embrace.

"But…" Danny quietly cried but couldn't continue when Jeff cut him off.

"No, Danny. There's no buts about it. Are you going to let us--your family--help and protect you? Or are you going to let that sick animal win? The choice is yours, kiddo. Do you want our help?" Jeff said with conviction as he too held Danny protectively.

"Help me." Danny cried weakly until complete darkness took over and he went limp in their protective embraces, knowing that at least for the moment, they were safe.

"Danny?" Martin and Jeff suddenly said fearfully, causing Sean to check Danny's vitals.

"Shhh. Calm down, he's okay. The poor kid is completely exhausted from all the medications we've given him. You guys can stay here and keep an eye on him, but let him rest. And remember, that anyone who comes through here has to show you ID. And if somebody tells you that I or Dr. Foster are calling you, start to worry, because if we need to talk to you we'll come to you we'll come ourselves. Anyway, if you need anything else--blankets, food, anything--just buzz the nurse and they'll help you out right away. But for now, I have to go see Dr. Foster about his results. So, I'll see you three in a little while." Sean, Dr. Novak, said kindly and then left the room, causing Jeff and Martin to grabs tight brotherhood grips of Danny's hands.

"Just get some sleep, brother. We're not going anywhere." Martin said softly but with conviction.

"And don't be scared anymore. We're going to take care of you and the team and nothing's going to happen to any of us." Jeff, too, said with conviction.

Somewhere deep down inside, through all the darkness, Danny heard his friends' voices and allowed his mind and body to drift off to a peaceful sleep away from any fears and threats. And although he was still very much afraid, he didn't have to face this torturous journey all alone anymore. He'd have his friends--his family--to lead him every step of the way.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sean, Dr. Novak, left Danny's room and went downstairs to go over Danny's CT results with Dr. Foster. When he arrived at the CT Lab, Dr. Foster had a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong? Are those Agent Taylor's results?" Sean asked Dr. Foster as his concern grew.

"Yes, I'm afraid they are. What do you see here?" Dr. Foster said concerned as he handed the scans to Sean, causing Sean to view them and immediately drop his jaw wide open as his eyes bugged out.

"Are you kidding me? That can't be right. Did they repeat the scans?" Sean asked concerned and shocked.

"They repeated the scans twice. And he can't have another because of the radiation. But the radiologist confirmed it also as well as two other doctors. And they all agreed that that's what it is." Dr. Foster said concerned.

"We have to tell him, Doc. How do you supposed that happened?" Sean said concerned.

"I don't know, but now more than ever, we have to keep a very careful eyes on Agent Taylor and anyone who tries to enter his room. Come on. We have to go give him the results." Dr. Foster said concerned.

"Are you sure that we should do that now? I mean, he passed out just now exhausted. He's sleeping…" Sean said confused but then he and Dr. Foster gasped in horror. "Oh, shit! He's not supposed to be sleeping. Hurry!" Sean said urgently as they ran through the stairwell as he grabbed his phone and called upstairs.

When Sean called the nurse's station, it was Vicky who picked up the phone.

"Hello, nurse's desk." Vicky said kindly, causing her to rush into Danny's room and prepare two large syringes after Sean explained to her the results of Danny's CT Scan.

"I'm sorry. But the two of you need to get of here right now. Go." Vick said sternly and urgently but compassionately.

Sean and Dr. Foster rushed into the room and quickly escorted Martin and Jeff out of the room as they looked on in horror.

"Agent Taylor! Agent Taylor, wake up! Come on, wake up!" Sean said urgently as he rubbed his fist hard against Danny's chest but he didn't respond. "He's not responding, Doc!" Sean said urgently as he injected a medication into Danny's IV and Vicky raised the oxygen to it's highest pressure.

"I don't like this one bit. His pressure's 130/90 and his Pulse is 140." Dr. Foster said urgently as he quickly injected medication into Danny's chest with a large needle.

That definitely got a reaction as Danny took a big breath of air and then coughed and cried in pained.

"Shhh. Just breathe, Agent Taylor, it's over. It's over. Come on, sweetheart. Just breathe slowly, sweetie. You're okay now." Nurse Vicky soothed as she softly soothed his head and face but he continued crying.

"What the hell did you do to me?" Danny cried angrily and pained, but weakly as he lightly thrashed, causing Dr. Foster to put soft restraints on Danny's wrists and legs.

"Shhh. Calm down, Agent Taylor. We just got your CT results now and we can't let you sleep yet, I'm sorry." Dr. Foster explained gently and compassionately.

"Why the hell not? I'm fucking tired with all the crap that you have me on. And I never wanted any damn drugs in the first place. So, why the hell did you give them to me?" Danny cried angrily out of pain but they just gently held his hands as he shook.

"Calm down, kiddo. You're going to be okay, but right now we need to tell you what we found. But I need you to stay calm because you're going to be okay, I know you are." Sean explained very gently and compassionately, causing Danny to cry more and look at him fearfully.

"Calm down, Son. But I need to know what happened to you? Have you been hurt these past few days? Have you been experiencing headaches, nausea, dizziness or problems with your vision?" Dr. Foster asked very gently and compassionately as he held Danny's hand, causing Danny to cry very emotionally like a child and not answer his question as he tried to remove his hands from theirs but couldn't.

Martin and Jeff couldn't stand hearing Danny suffer anymore and they barged into the room, causing them to gasp horrified when they saw Danny's condition.

"Danny? Danny, what's wrong? What happened? Why are you crying like that, kiddo?" Jeff said caringly but very concerned as he and Martin stood to either side of him.

"Martin, you and your friend aren't supposed to be in here. You need to wait outside." Sean said sympathetically but they wouldn't leave.

"I'm not going anywhere until I find out what's wrong with him." Martin said with conviction as he squeezed Danny's right shoulder. "What's the matter, brother? Why are you crying like that?" Martin asked caringly but concerned.

"I'm sorry, but…" Dr. Foster tried but couldn't continue when Danny cut him off.

"Damn it. Just tell them already. I don't care anymore." Danny cried angrily but defeated as he shook, causing Jeff and Martin to immediately worry when Dr. Foster sighed heavily and nodded.

"Agent Taylor, the CT Scan shows that you two fractures in your skull. Now, at the moment, they aren't causing any bleeding. But they are causing slight pressure on the brain. So, that's why we had to do what we just did to you. Now, in order for me to better treat your condition, I need to know how the fractures were caused." Dr. Foster explained gently, causing Danny to cry more and shake his head.

"No! No, I can't do that! I can't!" Danny cried emotionally and fearfully, causing Tears to escaped Martin and Jeff's eyes as they took a hold of his hands as they shook terribly.

"Hey, calm down right now, kiddo. What did I tell you before, hmm? We're not going to back down now. Tell us right now what happened." Jeff said sternly but fear was clearly evident in his voice as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand.

"Damn it. I can't. He's going to kill Jack and the girls." Danny cried panicked as his teeth chattered violently.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Martin said sternly but fearfully as he tightly held Danny's hand.

"If I talk, he's going to kill Jack and the girls. He's got someone watching Jack here and the girls in Chicago." Danny cried gasping.

"Damn it. Calm your ass down right now. Nobody's going to get killed. We're going to make that son of a bitch pay hell for what he's putting you through. But you're going to tell us right now what happened to you, Danny. Tell us right now. Do you understand me? You're going to tell us everything that that son of bitch put you through and you're going to do it now." Jeff said sternly but terror was clearly evident in his voice and features as tears streamed down his face.

"Danny, please. I swear that we're not going to let anyone hurt Jack, his girls or anyone else on the team. But you have to help us help you. You have to start by answering Doc's question, all right? How did you get the fractures in your head, brother? Please, tell us right now. Or don't you trust us, partner?" Martin pled but compassionately, his last causing Danny's heart to shred.

"Damn you, Martin. How the hell could you tell me that? I trust with my damn life, you bastard." Danny cried angrily but pained.

"I'm sorry that I'm hurting you, I didn't want to do that. But you're not leaving us another choice, Danny. You say that you trust us with your life but you're doing the opposite. You're keeping things from us and you're not letting us help you get this bastard and whoever else is working with him. Why won't you let us help you? And don't give me that 'you're all going to die' bullshit again, because we already told you that we're not going to let that happen. So, stop holding back and first tell us what happened to your head."

Martin cried softly but sternly as he tightly held Danny's hand, causing Danny to cry terribly upset.

Danny felt anger but also emotionally about the way that his friends were treating him. And since he knew that they weren't going to stop he cried angrily and decided to talk.

"Fine, you bastards! He hit me with a fucking pipe when I wouldn't do what he wanted me to! Is that what you fucking wanted to know?! Just leave me the hell alone! Leave me…the hell…alone!" Danny cried angrily out of fear as he shook violently, causing him to cry in agonizing and try to hold groin area when Jeff sat him up too quickly.

"Wait a minute. Be careful with this area, damn it. Lay him back down." Sean suddenly said sternly as he injected another medication into Danny's IV and also put bag of ice on his groin area when Jeff laid him down again, causing Jeff and Martin to look at each other fearfully.

"What the hell just happened? Why did you put that ice there?" Martin asked angrily but terrified.

"Martin, calm down. That's not up to me to disclose. That's up to Danny." Sean explained very gently, causing Danny to calm down a bit when the pain subsided.

"Danny, what the hell is going on? Talk to me, kiddo. Come on. You have to trust us. We're not going to let that bastard touch you again. Please." Jeff said soothingly but fear was too clearly evident in his voice, causing Danny to cry more and shake his head.

"Brother, please. Answer this last question now and then we won't ask you anything else for a while. Please." Martin said softly as he tried to remain strong when he got sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Please, just leave me alone. Please." Danny cried upset but defeated.

"Danny, Kiddo, please. I promise that we'll stop for a while with the questions. But tell us what the hell is going on and why you reacted like that just now." Jeff said softly but he wasn't sure if he could handle what Danny might tell them.

"Fine, but please, leave me alone. I'll tell you whatever you want, later, but please don't ask me anymore questions now. Please." Danny cried upset but defeated because he knew that his friends wouldn't leave him alone.

"We promise, kiddo. Now, please, tell us what happened." Jeff said softly as they gently, but tightly, held Danny's hands.

"Show them, Doc. But, please, let me go to sleep after that. Please." Danny pled crying as his teeth chattered.

"I'll tell you what, Agent Taylor. I've been trying to figure out also what happened to you. So, if you explain what happened, I'll let you sleep for fifteen minute intervals and then in a little while, I'll let you sleep until tomorrow morning, okay? Does that sound good to you?" Dr. Foster said kindly, causing Danny to nod crying. "Okay, then I'll go ahead and show them what happened." Dr. Foster said compassionately as he gently removed the bag of ice and lifted Danny's gown, causing Jeff and Martin to go bug-eyed with raw fear and shock as they tightly held Danny's hands in their now shaking own.

"Danny, Shhh. You don't have to explain anything now, brother. Just get some sleep for a few minutes and we'll keep talking later. Just relax. You're safe now and we're going to make that son of a bitch pay for hurting you like this. I promise." Martin said softly but with conviction as tears streamed down his pale face.

"That's right, kiddo. We're not going to ask you anything more for now. So, just get some sleep because we're not going anywhere. We're staying right here with you." Jeff said caringly as more tears fell from his eyes.

"Okay, that's enough for now, Agent Taylor. I'll allow to sleep but you'll be awakened every fifteen minutes to make sure that you're responsive. And then after a few hours, I'll allow you sleep more. Is there anything else you need before I leave?" Dr. Foster said caringly but Danny cried as his teeth chattered desperately and shook his head.

"Okay, kiddo. Then go ahead again and get some sleep now. We'll let your friends stay here with you. I promise." Sean said kindly, causing Danny to give in to some much needed sleep.

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A/N: Well, that's enough for this chapter. I know that it's pretty short but the next chapter is going to be longer and it's going to explain who the guy is that's hurting Danny and why. By the way, in the next chapter Danny might explain what happened to him. But it might not be pretty. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As soon as Danny was deeply asleep, Martin began shaking as he covered his mouth, causing Sean to immediately take a hold of him and lead him to the nearest bathroom.

"Hang on, buddy. I've got you. Come on." Sean said compassionately but somewhat urgently as he got Martin to the bathroom, causing Martin to begin vomiting until his stomach settled down. "That's it, kiddo, you're okay. Just breathe nice and slow." Sean said compassionately as he helped Martin carefully rinse his mouth of the rancid taste and then led him to a private room.

"What the hell was that? What the hell happened to him?" Martin cried angrily as Sean carefully sat him down.

"Martin, you have to calm down. The most important thing right now is to take care of Danny. And you don't look too good either. So, I want you to calm down before you make yourself sick too." Sean said compassionately as he sat Martin down again after he stood back up.

"Leave me the hell alone, all right. I'm not going to relax until I kill that son of a bitch for hurting him like this. He's already been through enough hell, to have to deal with this bastard. And what the hell happened to him? Why the hell is he that bruised?" Martin cried furiously as he punched the couch cushion.

"Look, Martin, I know that you're upset but, losing control isn't going to help anyone and much less Danny. Now, you just said that Danny's been through enough hell. Do you want to tell me what you mean by that? Come on. Relax and tell me what happened. I know that Dr. Foster said he was injured recently but I didn't get a chance to ask how." Sean explained gently.

For the next hour, Martin and Sean, spoke. In all honesty, Sean was perfectly aware of their incident with Dornvald and how Danny and him had nearly lost their lives. But he wanted the young agent to calm down. And in the end, he got what he wanted as Martin calmed down as tears stained every crevice of his face.

"I want you to drink this water, Martin. Here." Sean said kindly as he gave him a cup of water, causing Martin to drink it without protest. "Do you feel better now?" He asked sympathetically but Martin shook his head.

"I'm not going to be better until we catch that sick bastard." Martin said exhausted but angrily, when he noticed the sudden look of concern that crossed Sean's face. "What are you hiding from me? Why did you get that look just now when I said that?" Martin said calmly but fearfully as he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Martin. Come on. Let's get you back to Danny's room. He should be awake now." Sean said a bit nervously as he took a hold of Martin's arm and Martin pulled away weakly but roughly.

"I'm not going to go anywhere with you until you tell me what's going on and why you gave me that look. So, stop trying to change the subject and tell me." Martin whispered angrily out of fear, causing Sean to look at him sternly.

"Let's get one thing straight, Martin. First off, I know that you're scared about Danny, all right. But I'm not going to let you disrespect me like that again, especially when I'm being respectful to you and your friends. So, cool off that attitude. Secondly, I'm not going to tell you anything because that's not my information to divulge. If your boss wants to tell you what's going on or not, that's up to him and _**not you**_. Now, calm down so I can take you in to be with Danny. Otherwise, I won't let you see him again until you cool off. Do you understand that Martin?" Sean said sternly but compassionately, causing Martin to huff angrily but then take a breath to calm down.

"I just want to know what the hell is going on. I have a right to know." Martin quietly said angrily but calmly.

"Then talk to your boss, Martin. He's the only one who has the right to tell you what's going on. But no matter what he decides to tell you or not, you have to stay calm. Do you understand what I'm telling you? If you really want to help Danny, be strong for him because that's what he needs. Can you do that for Danny?" Sean asked compassionately.

"I don't know, man. I just want to make this bastard pay for hurting him." Martin said truthfully.

"I know that you all want that but can you think about what Danny _**needs **_from you and the others? He needs all of you to help him by being calm and not hunting for blood. So, answer me again. Can you, Martin, calm down for Danny's sake? Hmm?" Sean said compassionately as possible, causing Martin to sigh heavily and nod as more tears escaped his eyes.

"Okay, buddy, that's good. Come on. I'll take you to see Danny now." Sean said kindly as he gently stood up and held Martin tightly when Martin swayed. "Take it easy." He said slightly concerned.

"What the hell did you guys do to me? What did you put in me?" Martin said still a bit dazed from the sedative.

"I didn't do anything. It was Dr. Foster who gave you the sedative. And I'm sorry but it will be in your system for the next day or two. Now, come on." Sean said caringly as he smiled softly and then carefully led Martin away.

When they got to Danny's room a minute later, they found Jeff trying to restrain Danny as he cried and tried to get out of bed.

"Let me go!" Danny cried weakly but fearfully as he struggled to get out of bed, causing Danny to cry more when Jeff managed to restrain both of his wrists.

"Shhh. Damn it, Danny. Calm down." Jeff said sternly but fearfully as he tightly held Danny's left hand and soothed his head.

"What happened to him?" Sean said sternly as he checked Danny's vitals.

"I don't know. He was sleeping but then he woke up screaming and crying. He started hitting me and trying to get out of bed. I don't know what the hell spooked him." Jeff said nervously.

"Danny? Danny, look at me. I need you to calm down and breathe, kiddo. Otherwise, I'll have to give you a sedative and with your head injury, I don't want to do that." Sean said somewhat sternly but concerned.

"Just leave me the hell alone. Let me go." Danny cried angrily as he shook violently causing Martin to grab his right hand.

"What the hell is your problem, Danny? Calm down, brother. Or do you want the sedative? Believe me, that shit isn't fun." Martin said sternly as he struggled not to cry.

"So, now you're going to betray me too? Then, stay the hell out of my life, all of you. I don't need a damn thing from any of you. I never have." Danny cried angrily and breathless as he struggled against their tight grips.

Martin's heart tightened in his chest as he heard Danny's cruel words and tears escaped his eyes. But as hurt as he felt, he refused to let go of Danny. Instead, he held Danny's hand between both his own.

"What the hell are you waiting for, you bastards?! Let me go and leave the hell out of here right now! I hate you!" Danny cried angrily but his heart felt like it had been crushed.

"Damn it, Danny. Make them leave or they're going to get hurt or worse, die. Why the hell won't they leave?" Danny silently chastised himself fearfully.

"Go ahead, Danny. Fight with me, hate me, hit me or even be cruel if you want. But the fact is that I'm not going anywhere and neither is anyone else. We're a team and we never leave anyone behind. And I know that you're scared and that's why you're trying to push everyone away but it's not going to work, brother." Martin said softly but hurt as tears escaped his eyes.

"Stop calling me that. We're not brothers." Danny cried and then shrieked angrily when Martin swallowed hard and looked at Danny as if he'd killed him, causing Jeff to hold both their hands tightly with his own when Martin tried to leave.

"All right. That's enough, Danny. Martin, you're not going anywhere so sit your ass down. And as for you, Danny, get pissed off all you want but we're not going anywhere until you tell us what the hell happened to you. And, I know that you're scared but I'm not going to sit around while you're being cruel to Martin. We know that you're scared but you have no right to be cruel. Martin's always been here for you, Danny. And even when you two didn't get along, when he first joined the team, he still looked up to you--he always has. You guys are partners, Danny. Martin's looking out for you and that's what a partner and friend are supposed to do. Don't let that sick bastard tear you apart from Martin or the rest of us who care about you. Otherwise, that animal's already won. Is that what you want, Danny? Do you want that animal to win?" Jeff said sternly but compassionately.

"You be strong, Jeff. I know that you hate talking like that to Danny but he needs to hear it. Otherwise, he's going to push everyone away until that sick freak kills him." Jeff silently said to himself when his stern gaze nearly faltered.

"Go to hell, you bastard!" Danny cried angrily, causing them to tighten their grips on his hands when he continued struggling to get free.

"We're already there, Danny--with you, right now. So, give it up because we're not going anywhere. Now, settle your ass down right now and tell us what happened to you? What happened? Why are you so badly bruised in your groin area? Hmm? What did that bastard do to you? Help us to find him and put his ass away for the rest of his miserable life." Jeff said somewhat sternly out of fear but caringly as tears stained his face.

As soon as he heard those words, Danny became furious and petrified. And since he couldn't get revenge on his attacker for what had been done to him, he lashed out at the only ones who were closest to him--Jeff and Martin.

At that moment, Danny's mind left the present and went into the past as he became entrapped in a terrifying nightmare that threatened to send him into the dark abyss that he'd never get out of.

"Danny? Danny, look at me right now." Sean said urgently as Danny quietly shrieked violently furious and tried to bite and kick Martin and Jeff as his eyes closed tightly. "What the hell is going on? He's not responding. He's in shock." He said urgently as he restrained Danny's entire body to stop him from hurting himself.

_Flashback:_

_Danny's hands and feet were bound and stretched by the ropes that were tied to the steal beams in the cold and abandoned warehouse where he constantly faced torture because he refused to betray his friends and the shield. Danny knew what was coming to him momentarily but he knew that if he attempted to escape again, his friends would die. So, all he could do was pray to the heavens that his torturer would go too far and end his pain once and for all. Because death was a better alternative than the torturous hell his former best friend, turned torturer, had been making him go through for the last six months since he'd managed to find Danny again._

"_Are you ready to pay for your sins, Danny? I told you that I'd spend the rest of my life hunting you down like the animal that you are, until I found you." Danny's torturer said evilly as he held a long cattle prod in his hands. _

"_Ritchie, please, it wasn't my fault. I didn't have a choice." Danny said pained, causing him to scream and cry in agonizing pain when the cattle prod was activated and placed on his chest for several seconds. _

"_He looked up to you, Danny. But you turned your back on him when he needed you just because that stupid pig got to you. You believed his crap about him being your only chance between prison and the morgue. But where did that leave him, Danny? Hmm? He's dead because of you. You killed him. You were my best friend since we were four. But you took my brother from me and I'm going to take from you what you love most--your pig friends and their families." Ritchie said viciously as he shocked Danny again in the chest with the cattle prod, causing Danny to unavoidably wet himself. _

"_No! You leave them the hell alone! And it's your brother's own fault what happened to him, not mine!" Danny cried furiously, causing him to scream and cry in agony when he was beaten repeatedly on the ribs with the cattle prod. _

"_You killed him and you're blaming Sebastian! I should kill you right now, you son of a bitch! And I know that's what you want, but I'm not going to give you the pleasure. I'm not going to kill you yet, Danny. You're just going to wish that you were dead already. But don't worry. You'll be dead soon." Ritchie seethed viciously._

"_I don't care anymore, you fucking bastard! He deserved to die for coming after my Foster dad--no, my father--Special Agent Andrew Taylor! That was the only fucking father who ever gave a damn about me and I wasn't going to let Sebastian kill him! I warned him to give up the gun but he didn't listen! So, I shot him to save my father and I'd do it all over again if I had to!" Danny cried furiously but breathless and exhausted as he shook violently and darkness threatened to take over. _

"_You're going to die slowly, Danny. But only after you watch me kill your friends and family one by one, slowly and you'll get to watch every single moment. You killed my brother and now it's time for you to pay for your sins, you pig. Your friends and families' blood is on your hands." Ritchie seethed furiously as he held the cattle prod to Danny's groin area, causing Danny to pray for death to come until he completely soiled his clothes with urine and complete darkness thankfully took over. _

Present Time:

Martin and Jeff looked on in horror as Danny stopped struggling and completely soiled himself as he cried hoarsely but exhausted.

"Danny? Danny, look at me. You need to breathe, kiddo. Come on. Open your eyes and breathe." Sean said very concerned but Danny just continued crying terribly upset and hoarsely.

"Just kill me already, damn it. Let me die." Danny hoarsely cried despondently.

"Shhh. Don't say that, munchkin. Nobody's going to kill you. But please, tell us what happened to you? Who's hurting you and why?" Jeff pled softly as tears stained his face and he softly soothed Danny's head like a child, causing Danny to cry defeated.

"Ritchie. He wants revenge because I killed his brother when we were kids--after my parents died. My dad Andrew told me that he was my last choice if I didn't want prison or the morgue, when he caught me trying to steal from him with Ritchie's little brother, Sebastian. So, I went with him and he took me in but Sebastian hauled ass. My dad was a hard ass those first few months but I learned to love him and he treated me like a son. But one day, 'bastian tried to break into my dad's house with a gun and tried to shoot my dad Andrew. I begged him to give up the gun but he wouldn't. So, when he tried to shoot my dad, I took my dad's gun and shot him." Danny hoarsely cried exhausted, causing Jeff and Martin to grip his shoulders tightly.

"Danny, what about your bruises? How did you get them?" Martin asked crying softly but tried to remain strong.

"Six months ago, Ritchie found me again. And last week, he led to me to an empty warehouse and hit me in the back of the head. I blacked out and when I woke up, he'd tied my hands and feet to the steal beams. Then he started beating and shocking me with a cattle prod until I blacked out again and almost died. But he said that he was going to kill me slowly and that all of yours blood were in my hands, so I'd have to look on as he killed all of you until it's my turn to pay for killing his brother." Danny cried hoarsely and completely exhausted as he shook violently and tears, sweat and urine soaked his entire body.

"Shhh. That's enough, brother. You're safe now. We're not going to let anyone hurt you again. And I swear that I'm going to kill that son of a bitch when I find him." Martin cried but with conviction.

"No, he's going to kill all of you because of what I did." Danny cried upset but completely exhausted as he struggled to remain awake.

"Shhh. That son of a bitch isn't going to kill you or any of us, kiddo. He's going to pay for doing this to you. But we're going to need your help, buddy. We're going to need you to tell us everything that he's done, how he found you, everything. Okay? Do you understand me?" Jeff cried but with conviction, causing Danny to cry weakly but fearfully.

"Damn it. Just leave me alone. Why the hell won't you leave me alone?" Danny cried defeated as he weakly tried to get free of the restraints. "Take them off. Stop hurting me like him. You're doing the same thing he did." Danny cried like a child, causing Martin to take a hold of his face.

"What do you mean by that, Danny? Answer me." Martin cried somewhat sternly but Danny only cried weakly like a child until complete darkness took over. "Danny, Danny look at me. Damn it, wake the hell up." Martin cried angrily and sternly out of fear as he tightly held Danny's face, causing Sean to pull his hands roughly from Danny's face.

"Martin, calm down and leave him alone before you hurt him. He's completely exhausted but he's going to be okay after we clean him up." Sean said a bit sternly but sympathetically.

"Okay? Okay?! Were you even in the same damn room? Didn't you hear what he said? Look at him, damn it." Martin said angrily out of fear as tears continued staining every crevice of his face, causing Sean to glare at him sternly.

"Martin, he's right. You have to calm down. Danny's going to be okay and at least we finally know who hurt Danny and why. Now, when he wakes up, he'll have to tell us the entire story--including what Danny meant by this Ritchie guy finding him." Jeff said softly as he sniffled and gently soothed Danny's face with a cold, wet washcloth.

"If this was about this Sebastian character and the shooting was accidental, why would he want to kill Danny if he didn't have a choice? They were best friends for Christ's sakes." Martin said viciously as more tears streamed down his face.

"Think about it, Martin. Think of this for a minute, okay. Let's say that Danny was your little brother and one day, your best friend Sean shot and killed him because Danny tried to shoot or kill his father. Sean tells you that he didn't want to do it, but that he didn't have another choice. Would you give a damn about Sean's excuses or would you want to kill Sean for taking Danny away from you?" Jeff explained gently, causing him to block Martin's fist and put his arm forcefully behind his back, when Martin got angry at his words and nearly punched his pretty face.

"That's enough. I want both of you out of here right now. Get out." Sean warned sternly, causing Jeff to drag Martin out of the room as he continued to forcefully hold Martin's arm behind his back because Martin continued struggling to hit him.

Everyone in the halls watched on in horror as Jeff pushed Martin into the wall.

"Damn it, Martin. Calm your ass down right now." Jeff warned sternly.

"Let me go, you sick, son of a bitch! I'm going to fucking kill you!" Martin yelled angrily as he continued struggling to hit Jeff, causing Jack to suddenly yell angrily as he came running out of the elevator.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jack said angrily.

"Stay the hell out of this, Jack! This as nothing to do with you!" Martin said angrily as tears of anger stained his face and he managed to get one arm free from Jeff's hold.

Martin fist was heading straight for Jeff's face, when Jack grabbed it. Jack grabbed his cuffs and with Jeff's help immediately cuffed Martin's hands tightly behind his back.

"Martin, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Jack seethed as he and Jeff held Martin forcefully.

"Go to hell, Jack! It's none of your damn business!" Martin seethed furiously as he shook, gasped and tears of anger streamed down his face.

Jack was furious at Martin's behavior and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, causing Sean to come out of Danny's room and grab a hold of Martin.

"Back off and leave him alone, Agent Malone. He's just angry and scared about what Agent Carmichael said to him." Sean said sternly.

"Martin, listen to me, all right? I know that you're scared about Danny but he's okay now, he's safe. We managed to stabilize him and we also cleaned him up. Okay? And I know that you're pissed off but Agent Carmichael wasn't trying to defend Danny's attacker. He was only trying to get you to realize that animal's reasoning." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly.

"I don't give a damn. He didn't have a damn right to say it. And you're a liar. Danny isn't okay." Martin said angrily as tears streamed down his face, causing Sean to gently squeeze his shoulders.

"Martin, calm down. Danny is okay now. And I'll let you see him if you want, but I won't let that happen until you calm down. Now, are you going to calm down on your own and stop trying to attack your colleague? Or am I going to have to give you more sedative? You decide, Martin." Sean said a bit sternly but compassionately, causing Martin to sag in defeat as he quietly cried angrily and shook.

"Come on, Martin. You know that I would never defend that son of a bitch. I'm only trying to make you understand what he's thinking." Jeff said sternly out of frustration, causing Martin to quietly growl more furiously.

"Go to hell, you fucking asshole. And take these damn cuffs off." Martin quietly cried angrily through gritted teeth.

"I'm not taking anything off until you calm the hell down, Martin." Jack said harshly as he grabbed Martin by the collar of his shirt.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but you're the least one who should be saying that, Agent Malone. Because you talk about him cooling off but you're walking around here like the lone ranger trying to attack the staff just because you don't trust them. When you learn to cool off, then you can tell him to cool off. Now, let him go this instant and don't grab him like that again." Sean said harshly as he pulled Jack's hands away from Martin's collar.

"Martin, listen to me, okay? If you calm down, I'll let you in to see Danny. I'll even let you stay with him tonight. Look, he already told you what happened to him--part of it anyway. And after hearing that, I know that Danny could use your help right now, okay? But the only way that you can help him at the moment is by being calm. And you can't do that like this. So, think about Danny right now. Forget about all that anger, fear and pain that you feel and think of Danny. Can you do that, Martin?" Sean said compassionately, causing Martin to let his head sag in defeat as he quietly cried angrily.

"No. I'm not going to calm down until you tell me what everyone's hiding from me. What the hell aren't you all telling me about that sick son of a bitch?" Martin quietly cried angrily.

"I'm sorry, Martin, I really am. But that's not mine to say. It's up to your boss." Sean explained gently but concerned.

"Don't even think that I'm going tell you a damn thing. I'm having an agent escort you home." Jack said harshly as he jabbed Martin's chest with his index finger, causing Sean to push his hand away and get between Martin and him.

"He's not going anywhere tonight with all the sedative that Dr. Foster gave him. He's staying right here with Danny. Now, take the cuffs off and leave him alone. And another thing, I don't care if you are his boss or not. That doesn't give you any right to treat him the way you treating him. If you're pissed off about not catching that animal yet, then you go take it out on yourself or someone else. But you leave him alone." Sean said seriously and somewhat angrily as he glared at Jack.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" Jack said angrily.

"Apparently, I'm talking to a man who likes to bully his agents around just because he's frustrated and thinks he can get away with it. If you don't like your job anymore, quit. Because, bullying your agents isn't going to do anything except push them away. Now, either take the cuffs off, or I'll have the janitorial services bring me bolt cutters and I'll cut them off myself." Sean said calmly but irritably as he stared Jack straight in the eyes.

"Look, that's enough, all right. Everyone is just too heated right now. Now, I'll take the cuffs off but only if he promises to calm down and not try to attack me again. Otherwise, I'll take him down to headquarters and put him in a holding cell." Jeff said with a frustrated sigh.

"What's it going to be, Martin? Are you going to calm down and go in to be with Danny? Or do I have to put you in a holding cell? It's up to you, buddy. And I know that you're still mad but you know that what I said is true and that I wasn't doing it to defend that sick bastard." Jeff said somewhat sternly but caringly, causing Martin to quietly cry angrily.

"I don't care. You didn't have to compare Danny with that asshole. Now, take off the damn cuffs and I'll go with him." Martin softly cried angrily but defeated as he let his body sag in defeat.

"Go with Danny and cool off. I'll be there in a while." Jeff said softly but caringly as he took off Martin's cuffs, causing Sean to take a gentle hold of Martin.

"Come on. Let's go with Danny. Come on. He's going to be okay. I know he is." Sean said caringly as he gently led Martin into Danny's room and gently sat him next to Danny's bed, causing Martin to take a tight hold of Danny's hand as more tears escaped his eyes and he laid his head on their hands.

Martin hadn't realized it because he was distraught, but Danny was quietly watching as he cried and it caused his heart to constrict, causing him to weakly squeeze Martin's hand to try to comfort him.

"Danny?" Martin cried softly but expectantly as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand, causing Danny to squeeze his hand again.

"I'm sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean it. I'm just scared. I don't want anything to happen to you or anyone else." Danny said softly as tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to tighten his hold.

"It's okay, Danny. We know that you didn't mean it. And nothing's going to happen to us or you, okay? But you have to help us to help you, all right? We need to know absolutely every last detail about that animal. Do you understand me?" Martin cried softly but with conviction, causing Danny to softly cry fearfully.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you, Fitzy? You're going to keep being a pain in my ass." Danny weakly chuckled crying, causing Martin to laugh crying and soothe his head as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand.

"You know it, brother. I'm never going to stop being here for you no matter what. So, what do you say? Will you let us help you and will you tell us everything about that asshole so that we can get him and make him pay?" Martin cried softly but with conviction.

"Okay, but only if you guys calm down, Martin. I heard you fighting in the hall. And you're wrong about Jeff. We both know that he wasn't defending Ritchie." Danny said softly as more tears escaped his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Danny, I really am. I never meant for you to hear that. But I promise that I'll calm down if you promise to tell us everything and let us help you. Do we have a deal?" Martin softly cried with conviction, causing Danny to squeeze his hand again.

"Deal. But let me get some sleep first. Please? My head is killing me. It feels like I'm being kicked again." Danny said weakly as he groaned.

"What do you mean by that, Danny?" Sean suddenly said concerned.

"Please, not now. I'll tell you guys everything later. But please, let me sleep now. I'll do whatever want." Danny cried weakly as he squeezed Martin's hand.

"Shhh. Okay, kiddo. I'll let you sleep for now but I'm going to wake you up every hour to make sure that you know who and where you are, okay?" Sean said compassionately.

"Okay, I promise." Danny cried weakly but pained as he struggled to remain awake. "Martin?" He cried weakly.

"Yeah, brother?" Martin said as he soothed Danny's head and tightened his hold on Danny's hand.

"Stop being mad at Jeff. He didn't do anything wrong. Promise me that you'll work things out with him." Danny cried weakly.

"I promise, brother. But you just get some sleep right now and we'll talk later. Just sleep. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying right here with you. I promise." Martin said softly as he sniffled, causing Danny to weakly nod and give in to some much needed sleep.

"Don't worry, kiddo. He's going to be okay. I promise." Sean said kindly as he gently squeezed Martin's shoulder, causing Martin to sigh heavily and only nod.

_Out in the Hall…_

Jack had been observing Sean close. There was something about the guy's behavior that he didn't like or trust.

"What are you thinking, Jack? I know that look of yours." Jeff said knowingly as he watched Jack stare intently at Sean.

"I'm thinking that I'm going to call Viv and tell her to find out everything she can about this Sean Novak. I don't trust the prick as far as I can throw him. Why is he so interested in Martin like that? Did you see how he got when I grabbed Martin?" Jack said suspiciously as he grabbed his phone.

"Come on, Jack. Dr. Foster already told you that he's known Sean all his life and that Sean's never hurt anyone." Jeff said, slightly uncertain himself.

"I don't give a rat's ass what that guy said. I'm having Viv check him out." Jack said somewhat gruffly as he talked in the phone.

"Viv, it's Jack. I need you to run a check on this Dr. Sean Novak. There's something going on with him that I don't like at all." Jack said seriously.

"I'll check it out now, but how's Danny?" Viv asked concerned.

"He's stable for now but he's going to be okay. Anyway, get started on that background check and call me back with whatever you find." Jack said a bit seriously.

"I'll see what I can find, Jack. Give Danny my love." Viv said concerned.

"I will, Viv. I'll talk you later." Jack said kindly and then ended the call.

"This guy is hiding something and I'm not going to stop until I figure out what it is." Jack said with conviction as he glared at Sean through the window.

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Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have any comments/suggestions, they'll be appreciated. Thanks to all of you who've reviewed so far.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Caution-- I'm not nice to Danny in this chapter. Thanks for the reviews so far. I hope you enjoy this installment. As always, please R and R if you like it, don't like it, etc. All feedback is welcomed and appreciated.

Chapter 8

Martin had fallen asleep shortly after Danny but he continued to hold Danny's hand tightly in his own. The two bodies continued sleeping until Sean came back into the room an hour later to wake Danny up.

"Danny, I need you to wake up. Come on. I know that you're tired but you have to wake up, okay?" Sean said gently as he gently squeezed Danny's shoulder, causing Danny to groan weakly and slowly wake up.

"You lied. You said that you were going to…" Danny said weakly but couldn't continue when Sean quickly shook his head and gestured for Martin with his eyes, causing Danny's eyes to bug out a little.

"Shhh. Martin's okay, all right? He's just sleeping because he got pissed off earlier and tried to flip some chairs over. So, Dr. Foster had to give him a sedative. He'll be sleeping a lot for the next day or two but he'll be okay. I promise." Sean said caringly and then put his index finger on his mouth to quiet Danny.

At that moment, Martin began waking up, causing Sean to shake his head at Danny and remove his index finger from his mouth. He carefully sat Martin up when Martin began hissing and swearing.

"Take it easy, kiddo. You fell asleep sitting. That's why you're soar right now. But I'll get a heating pad for you in few minutes. Just relax and try not to move around." Sean said kindly as he smiled softly, causing Martin to nod.

"All right, quiz time. Can you tell me your name, where you're at and the year?" Sean asked as he checked Danny's eyes with his penlight.

"Danny Taylor, in the hospital, 2006. Can I go back to sleep now?" Danny said annoyed, causing Martin to gently squeeze his hand.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but not yet. Do you know why you're in the hospital?" Sean said gently, causing Danny to swallow hard all of a sudden and not answer his query. "Danny?" He said concerned as he looked at Danny.

"Why won't you answer Danny? Come on, brother." Martin said calmly but fearfully, causing Danny to shake his head and squeeze his hand as if to reassure him.

"Don't be scared, Martin. I'm okay. I'm just tired and I want to go to sleep." Danny said softly as he swallowed hard again and his lips quivered.

"It's okay, Danny. We're going to get that bastard and he's going to pay for what he's doing to you." Martin said softly but with conviction, causing Sean to look at them sympathetically.

"I think you two have a lot of talking to do. So, I'm going to go see Dr. Foster about Danny's progress and I'll be back later to check on Danny again. And I'm also going to let your other friend know that he can come in already because he wanted to know when Danny was awake. But, Martin, I don't want you two fighting again--especially in front of Danny. Are we clear on that?" Sean said a bit seriously but caringly.

"They're not going to fight, Doc. Martin already promised me he wouldn't." Danny said softly as he held Martin's hand tighter. "Isn't that right, Martin?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

"I gave you my word, Danny." Martin said with a heavy sigh as he tightly squeezed Danny's hand.

"Good. Then, I'll have Vicky come in here in a minute and put on a heating pad. Keep it on until it gets cold and let Vicky know so she'll put another one. I'm also going to have her give you something for the pain because your ribs and back are probably going to hurt more. I'll be right back." Sean said kindly and then left the room and went to the nurses' desk to speak with Nurse Vicky.

Out in the hall, Jack continued eyeing Sean as he talked to his nurse and signed some paperwork. Once done, he walked toward him and Jeff.

"You can go in now, he's awake. But try not to make him anxious. I'll be back in a little while but if you need anything before that, have one of the nurses page me or Dr. Foster." Sean said kindly.

"Where is Dr. Foster? I thought it was my understanding that he was the one treating Danny? But I don't see him anywhere. It seems to me that you're the only one working on his case." Jack said somewhat irate but calmly, causing Sean to sigh obviously frustrated.

"Dr. Foster _**is **_primarily in charge of Danny's case but he was called down to the emergency room and left me in charge until he gets back." Sean said somewhat irate.

"How long does Danny have to stay here for?" Jeff asked somewhat concerned.

"Dr. Foster will be up here later to discuss that, but I can't answer that for you now. Right now, Danny's still under observation. So, it'll be up to Dr. Foster when he can leave." Sean said kindly but with a tinge of ire directed towards Jack.

"Why is that? It doesn't seem to me like he's the one treating Danny." Jack said calmly but somewhat crossly, causing Sean to sigh angrily.

"Look, if you have something to say, Agent Malone, say it. Because you've been a pain in my ass since you got here and I don't know why. All I've done is treat your agents with dignity and respect--which is something that you're apparently not capable of. Or is it custom FBI training to threaten and abuse your agents like you do? Well, you know what? It's not all about you, Malone. The only thing that I care about right now is your agents' well-beings and I'm going to keep doing my job and treating them with Dr. Foster. If you don't like it, tough. But while they're here and so are you, I'm not going to let you treat Martin or Danny the way you do. So, get off of your damn high horse and cool off. This world doesn't revolve only around you." Sean said calmly but furiously and then stormed off without giving Jack a chance to retaliate.

"Who does this fucking prick think he is? I'm going to figure out what he's up to. And when I do, he's going to regret ever meeting me. But for now, let's go in to see Danny. I'll deal with that bastard later." Jack said irately.

"Come on, Jack. Let's just get in there with Danny. He's got some explaining to do." Jeff said concerned, causing Jack to sigh heavily and nod so they went in.

"Hey, Jack." Danny said with a sad smile when Jack and Jeff entered the room, causing Jack to smile softly and carefully take a hold of Danny's left hand in a brotherhood grip.

"Danny-boy, how are you feeling? You scared the hell out of me." Jack said with a small smile, causing Danny to tighten his grip on Jack's hand.

"What do you want to know?" Danny said knowingly but sadly as tears escaped his eyes.

"I want to know everything--how you met him, who he is, why you said he found you again, when he found you, how he found, how he's threatening you and what he's done to you until now, Danny. But I swear to you that we will catch him and anyone else working with him and they'll regret the day they ever screwed with my family." Jack said gently but with conviction, causing Danny to cry softly but somewhat like a child as he shook.

"Danny, it's okay. We're going to take care of you. But you need to tell us everything about this guy and whoever is working with him." Jeff said gently but compassionately.

"His name is Cesar Ricardo Escobar but everyone calls him Ritchie." Danny softly cried somewhat fearfully like a child as he tried to slow down his breathing and his racing heart.

"Shhh. Calm down, kiddo. It's okay. How do you know this 'Ritchie'?" Jeff asked gently.

"We grew up together in Miami since I was four years old and Ritchie was five. He's a few months older but we became best friends from the beginning. We were never apart. It was like we were joined at the hips and he would always beat up anyone who tried to mess with me." Danny cried softly as he sniffled and tried to calm down a bit.

"You said before that…that you…that you killed his brother in self defense. How did everything happen?" Martin asked very gently, causing Danny to hold their hands tightly as he tried stifle a pained cry--a pain caused more by that memory than his actual injuries.

"Calm down, brother. But you have to tell us." Martin said gently but caringly as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand.

"Ritchie had a brother named Sebastian. After my parents died, I started hanging with the wrong crowd. I began stealing everything I could find. Sebastian would follow me, and even Ritchie sometimes, around and do the same. I was with 'bastian one day when we saw this guy in a monkey suit and a long overcoat. The guy had his back turned to us, so we thought that we could steal his wallet and haul ass. But that stupid plan bit us in the ass." Danny suddenly chuckled crying, causing the guys to look at him concerned.

"Are you okay, kiddo? What happened?" Jeff asked gently but concerned as he soothed Danny's head gently but like a child.

"That's the day I met Andrew Taylor, my dad." Danny said proudly as he cried smiling. "It turned out that the man in the monkey suit was well aware what we were up to. He just wanted to bust us because of the robberies we'd gotten away with. Right when we were getting ready to pick his pocket, he turned around and aimed his gun at us. But he quickly put it away when he saw the scared shitless looks on our faces." Danny chuckled crying.

"What happened next?" Jack said with a small, slightly amused smile as he continued to hold Danny's hand in his own.

"He grabbed both of us but Sebastian managed to get loose. He begged me to go with him but I nearly pissed my pants when Andrew grabbed me tighter and told me that I wasn't going anywhere. So, Sebastian ran and left me there." Danny chuckled softly but amused as he sniffled.

"Did he let you go after that?" Martin asked gently, causing Danny to chuckle crying and shake his head.

"Hell no. It turned out that he was an FBI agent. He took me to the FBI headquarters down in Miami and put me in an interrogation room. He grilled me for four hours on where I was going to end up and how my life would end on this earth if I didn't change my ways. And he wouldn't stop until I pissed my pants and wouldn't stop crying." Danny cried smiling.

_Flashback…_

_Agent Andrew Taylor had been very rough on Danny over the last four hours and now the kid sat in the corner of the floor, crying and shaking uncontrollably as he held his head and soiled his pants. He was sure that Danny had gotten the hint, but boy was he wrong. _

_Danny was terrified, but not because of Andrew's words. No, he was afraid because this man reminded him of how his father would yell at him before he'd beat Danny with his fists, belts, hell, anything the bastard could find. That's why Danny was crying now. He was afraid of this man because he was sure that a beating would come next, causing Danny to shriek violently and cover his face to protect himself, when Andrew hovered above him and squeezed his shoulder gently. _

"_No! No, please I'll do whatever you want but don't hit me! I won't behave bad anymore! I swear, but please don't hit me! Please!" Danny shrieked and cried frantically as he shook violently and crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself, causing Andrew to carefully cross his arms across his chest and hold him carefully but tightly. _

"_Hey, calm down, son. I'm not going to hit you. What's wrong with you?" Andrew said sternly but very concerned._

"_Yes, you are! You're just like him before he used to beat me! Please don't hurt me! Please!" Danny cried terrified but like a child as he coughed. _

"_Calm down right now, kid. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm only being stern with you to make you understand what your life is going to be like if you keep on stealing like now. But just because I talk to you like that, it doesn't mean that I'm going to hurt you. Now, calm down." Andrew said sternly but concerned, causing Danny to calm down five minutes later._

"_Please, let me go." Danny sobbed softly but like a child, causing Andrew to release him and sit him in a chair that was at the table. _

"_Here. Calm down and drink this." Andrew said concerned as he gave Danny a cup of cold water and read his file, causing Andrew to sigh heavily. "It says that you lost your parents in a drunk driving accident. But it also says that there was physical abuse in your family. Did your father abuse you? Is that why you got like that just now?" He asked concerned but a bit sternly. _

"_That's what I told you." Danny sobbed softly as he continued to shake and cough a little. _

"_Well, I don't do that to my own kids and I'm not going to do it to you." Andrew said with a heavy sigh and then put the file down. "Who's taking care of you now?" He asked a bit sternly but caringly. _

"_They got me with this foster family, The Riveras. But they don't care about me. All they care about is the money the government gives them. They don't show me any love even when I try to be good." Danny sobbed somewhat angrily as he sniffled. _

"_Well, I'm going to tell you what, Danny. I'm giving you two choices today. You can either spend the next ten years in prison or you can come live with me and family and we'll be your foster family. Look, as far as I can see, you have two paths--prison or the morgue. It's up to you. But, if you choose to live with us, there will be rules that you will have to follow. Is that understood? So, choose now Danny. Do you want to move in with me and my family?" Andrew said a bit sternly but caringly, causing Danny to look at him and see only sincerity in the man's eyes. _

"_Okay." Danny cried softly but somewhat like a child, causing the agent to take his small hand in his big one in a brotherhood grip. _

"_Okay, Danny. I'll go make some calls. But remember that there will be rules. Come on." Andrew said caringly and Danny nodded crying, causing Andrew to lead him out of the interrogation room. _

_End of Flashback…_

"So, you went home with him and turned your life around. Meanwhile, Sebastian continued his thieving ways on the street. So, what happened?" Jack asked compassionately.

"Andrew took me home and he was rough the first few months but then I grew to love him like a real dad. He told me that I was his son and that that would never change. That's the day he and his wife, my mom, told me that they had adopted me. I was so happy. And everything was great but then Sebastian showed up one night." Danny cried softly again.

"Sebastian found out where I lived and broke into the house. He figured that Andrew had money, since the house was big. But 'bastian wasn't a smart thief, he was greedy. He didn't care if he was quiet or not and dropped a vase on the floor. That's when my dad Andrew woke up and saw him in the living room. I woke up and got scared to hell because he had a gun. I begged him to put it down but he told me that I was a traitor for leaving him." Danny softly cried sadly.

"'bastian said that I was going to pay but that he wasn't going to kill me. He aimed the gun at my dad but I grabbed dad's gun from his holster and shot him dead. I'd begged him to put it down but he didn't listen. That's the day me and Ritchie went from being best friends to worst enemies. The next night, Ritchie tried to shoot me for killing Sebastian but my dad's partner stopped him and they put him away for three years. But my dad moved us from Miami and brought us to New York." Danny quietly cried upset but tried to control his breathing.

"Shhh. Calm down, brother. Just breathe nice and slow. You said that he found you again. How and when did that happen?" Martin asked gently.

"I don't know how the hell he found me. I was always careful not to go back because I didn't want him in my life again. But he found me anyway--six months ago. And he hasn't left me alone since because he says that I haven't finished paying my sins--for killing 'bastian. And that he's going to kill all of you and make me watch. Then he'll kill me afterwards." Danny cried softly but somewhat fearfully as his teeth chattered.

"Shhh. That's enough, Danny-boy. Just rest for now. Just, calm down, kiddo." Jack said caringly but fear was clearly evident in his voice.

"No, I have to keep going or I won't tell you anything again." Danny quietly cried fearfully like a child.

"Shhh. Okay, but you have to calm down. That's good. Just breathe nice and slow. Come on. Nice and slow." Martin said caringly but fearful, causing Danny to hold them tighter but breathe. "Now, what about your injuries?" He asked gently but concerned.

"I already told you about the cattle prod. But that's not the only thing he's done to me." Danny quietly cried fearful.

"What do you mean, Danny?" Jack asked somewhat sternly but fearfully.

"When he first found me, he came to headquarters claiming to be my brother, so security let him in. We talked and he said that he'd changed his life around and that he was a church man now. He said that he wasn't mad at me anymore about Sebastian because he came to understand that Sebastian was the one who'd gone after my family. I was so damn stupid that I fell for his bullshit story and that's when my freaking hell on earth began." Danny quietly cried emotionally and somewhat fearfully as he shook a little but breathed.

"What do you mean, Danny? What happened after you guys talked?" Jeff asked concerned.

"It was a Friday, so he convinced me to go have something to eat with him. Well, like an ass, I went with him to some restaurant near my house. We ate, but he must've slipped me something because when I woke up…When I woke up, my arms and legs were strapped to a table--it was a cold, metal table--and the only light shining was on top of me on the ceiling." Danny quietly cried fearfully like a child.

"What happened next, Danny?" Jack asked calmly but he tried hard to hide his excruciating fear from his voice as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand.

"Remember that I called you, Jack, and I told you that I needed a Monday off because I was sick and you said okay?" Danny quietly cried upset like a child, causing Jack to nod as he tightened his hold on Danny's hand. "Well, the truth is that Ritchie had beaten the hell out of me that Friday night when he tied me to that table. He threw ice-water on me and then shocked me with jumper cables. But it didn't stop there. He…he…kept throwing water on my face by the gallons like he was trying to drown me or something. And then he made me stay awake all night. He didn't care that I had vomited and even soiled myself. Every time I'd lose consciousness, he'd throw ice-water and shock me until I woke up. Meanwhile, he kept telling me how he's going to kill all of you and how I'm going to watch him do it. Then it'll be my turn to pay for killing 'bastian." Danny quietly cried fearfully but like a child as he shook violently, causing Jack and Martin to tighten their holds and Jeff to soothe his head like a child.

"Shhh. That's enough, Danny. That's enough. You don't have to say anything else. Just relax, breathe. Nothing's going to happen to us. And we're not going to let that sick bastard hurt you again." Jack said strong and with conviction.

"Damn it. You don't understand. He knows who all of you are and he has your pictures. He says that there are people watching you until he gives the orders to kill all of you. This is all my fault." Danny quietly cried fearfully and terribly upset as he shook violently, causing Martin to grab his face with his hands.

"Listen to me, brother. You have to calm down. We're not going to let that son of a bitch hurt you anymore. And we're sure as hell not going to let him or anyone else hurt any of us. So, don't be afraid of that sick bastard anymore. Right now all I want you to do is calm down and get some rest, okay? Just get some sleep. We're not leaving you alone. We're staying right here with you." Martin cried sternly but caringly as he held Danny's face in his hands and tears stained his face.

"But I'm scared, Fitzy. I don't want anything to happen to any of you. Why can't you guys understand that?" Danny quietly cried upset but like a child, which was causing Jack, Martin and Jeff to worry.

"We know that you're scared, but you're safe now. Do you understand me? You are safe. Nothing is going to happen to any of us or you anymore. And I swear that we're going to catch that sick son of a bitch and anyone else he's working with. But you need to calm down now and go to sleep." Jack said sternly out of fear, causing Danny to stop struggling and sag in defeat.

"You don't understand anything." Danny quietly cried like a child, causing the guys to panic when he let go of their hands and began sucking his thumb as he tried to bawl up protectively.

"Oh, shit." Jack, Martin and Danny said fearfully when Nurse Vicky suddenly showed up in the room with Sean and Dr. Foster.

"I told you not to upset him but you didn't listen. Now, get out." Sean said sternly as he glared at Jack, causing him to take a breath when Martin looked at him somewhat angrily.

"I'm not talking about you, Martin. But I do need you and these guys to get out because we need to run some tests on Danny and we also need to calm him down. Don't worry. I'll let you come back in after we're finished, okay? But right now, Vicky's going to fix you up with a nice heating pad and medication that I ordered, all right? Come on. Go on." Sean said caringly but then glared at Jack without Martin noticing.

"I can't leave him…" Martin tried but Sean quickly cut him off.

"He's not alone, Martin and we're going to take care of him. Go on." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as if he were talking to a child, causing Vicky to take a gentle hold of Martin's hand.

"Come on, Agent Fitzgerald. Let's take a look at those ribs. And you two come with me also. Come on." Nurse Vicky said kindly as she smiled softly, causing Martin, Jack and Jeff to follow her wearily.

But before he left, Jack looked back at Sean viscously and Sean did the same. One way or another, he was going to figure what Sean was really up to. And when he did find out Sean's game, not even the heavens above would be able to save him from Jack's wrath.

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	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: I dedicate this entire fic to my Father who I just lost less than two weeks ago. I wasn't planning on continuing but decided against it because my father knew that I was writing and he enjoyed it. It always brought him smiles and laughter. Anyway, hope you enjoy this next installment.

Disclaimer: Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and company. I do not own any part of Without a Trace whatsoever. I only own my own characters (Jeff, Sean, etc.). I only do this for fun, not profit. So, please don't sue.

Chapter 9

While the guys awaited news of Danny in the hospital, Viv and Sam were at the office trying to figure out everything they could about Dr. Sean Novak while the awaited the results of Danny's phone records.

"Viv, what's going on with Jack? Why does he hate this doctor so much? So far, I haven't been able to find anything on Dr. Novak." Sam asked confused.

"You know Jack, Sam. When he gets an idea in his head about anyone…" Viv said smiling but then turned serious as she looked at the computer screen and read.

"What is it, Viv?" Sam said concerned when she saw how serious Viv looked.

"Apparently, you didn't dig deep enough." Viv said seriously as she pointed to the screen, causing Sam's eyes to bug out when she read the screen.

_BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…_

Dr. Foster and Sean were able to stabilize Danny and calm him down, but he was still somewhat agitated. So, while Sean tried to calm him down, Dr. Foster went out into the hall to speak to Jack, Martin and Jeff.

"How is he doing?" Jack asked gruffly out of fear.

"Calm down, Agent Malone. Now, I know that you're trying to do your job and find the one responsible for hurting Agent Taylor, but I can't allow you to agitate him again. His pressure's become unstable and his nerves are shot to hell. So, to prevent any further episodes like that one, I'm going to restrict Agent Taylor's visits to fifteen minutes." Dr. Foster explained somewhat sternly.

"There's no way in hell that I'm going to leave my agent alone. And now that you're here, why is it that the only one treating my agent seems to be Dr. Novak? And how well do you really know him?" Jack said calmly but angrily.

"I'm sure that Sean already informed you that I left him in charge of my cases because I was called down to the ER. And I know that you're on edge, but I'm going to ask you to stop being aggressive toward my staff. I already told you that I only selected a few staff members that I personally trust and know very well. And as I told you before, I've known Sean all his life and he wouldn't hurt your agent or anyone else." Dr. Foster said sternly, causing Jack to huff angrily.

"That doesn't explain his behavior with my agents." Jack said calmly but tersely through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean by that?" Dr. Foster asked somewhat angrily.

"Look for yourself." Jack said calmly but gruffly as he gestured to Danny's room, causing Dr. Foster and the others to look toward Danny's room.

Sean had his back to the window as he talked to Danny. But Danny looked angry and distressed, causing Sean to take a tight hold of Danny's left hand and hold Danny's shoulder with his other. No one knows what they were talking about but whatever it was, it caused Danny to look furious as he began crying again.

As soon as that happened, Sean grabbed a hold of both of Danny's shoulders and carefully forced Danny to look at him. But it only made him cry angrier as he spoke to Sean, until he let his body sag in defeat, causing Sean to shake his head and carefully embrace Danny protectively as he continued talking.

Dr. Foster sighed heavily and shook his head.

"I want you to wait right here. I'll be right back." Dr. Foster said seriously and then left to Danny's room.

"Mr. Fitzgerald, I need you to come with me please. Dr. Novak ordered medication and a large heating pack for your ribs. Please, come with me." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she smiled softly and then gently led Martin away to a private exam room.

Within a few minutes, Nurse Vicky carefully placed a heating pad on Martin's ribs and then secured it in place with bandage.

"Is that it? Can I go back now?" Martin asked a bit pained.

"I'm sorry, Agent Fitzgerald, but Dr. Novak ordered that you be given pain medication. So, drink these and then we'll be all finished." Nurse Vicky said kindly with a soft smile as she handed Martin a cup of cold water and another with medications.

"What is this?" Martin asked untrustingly of the medications.

"It's Tylenol with codeine. It'll help to take away the pain." Nurse Vicky said kindly, causing Martin to sigh heavily and drink it without protest. "Very well, Agent Fitzgerald. Now you can go back with your friends." Vicky said kindly and she carefully led him back toward Jack and Jeff.

"Are you okay, kid?" Jeff asked concerned, causing Martin to sigh heavily.

"I feel like I've been kicked by a mule. Anymore news on Danny?" Martin asked a bit pained.

"No, not yet, Martin. Dr. Foster is still in there with him. But regardless of what he says, there's not a chance in hell that we're going to leave him alone." Jeff said seriously.

"First off, Danny won't be alone because we'll be taking care of him. And secondly, you don't have a choice. Dr. Foster's restricted Danny's visiting hours to fifteen minutes, but you only have yourself to blame, _**Agent**_ Malone." Sean said seriously as he glared at Jack.

"Who the hell do you think you are, you filthy maggot?" Jack said furiously as he grabbed Sean by the collar, causing Sean to grab his collar also.

"I'm someone who's not afraid of you. You walk around bullying your agents and everyone else to do your bidding. Well, that's not going to happen here. This is a hospital and there are rules, Malone. If you don't like them, then leave." Sean whispered viciously as he glared at Jack, causing Jeff to fail miserably as he and Dr. Foster, who'd come out into the hall, tried to separate them.

Danny was in the room when he saw what was happening in the hall between Sean and Jack, causing him to panic.

"No!" Danny yelled fearfully and pained as he took off all of the medical equipment, causing Him to cry in agonizing pain as he got out of bed and staggered into the hall.

"No! Sean, let him go! Let him go!" Danny plead fearfully as tears stained his face and he began falling to the floor, causing him to scream in agonizing pain when Sean roughly released Jack and grabbed him tightly just in time before he hit the floor. "Aaaaagh!" He screamed in agony as his teeth chattered violently.

"Danny!" Sean said urgently as he carefully held Danny tightly and stopped him from hitting the floor hard. "Danny, no! Come on. Come on, just breathe. Just breathe nice and slow. Please." Sean said somewhat urgently and fearfully as he took a protective hold of Danny, causing Jack to become furious.

"Get your damn hands off of him, you maggot." Jack said angrily, causing Danny to panic more and struggle to breathe as he shook his head.

"Shhh. Damn it. Calm down, Danny. Everything's going to be okay. Please just breathe." Sean said fearfully as he refused to relinquish his hold of Danny, causing Danny to shake his head fearfully as he continued struggling to breathe. "Don't give me that shit or I'll kick your sorry ass, you spoiled brat. Now, calm your ass down and breathe. That's not a damn request, little boy. Calm your ass down and breathe right now." Sean said sternly as he took a tight hold of Danny's jaw with one hand, causing Danny to look at him fearfully and shake his head.

"Don't play games with me, Danny. You've got five seconds to breathe or you're going to eat a knuckle sandwich again, you brat. I'm not playing any games with you, Danny, and you know it. Now breathe." Sean said furiously through gritted teeth as he held a fist in front Danny's face, causing Danny to cry furiously.

"You're a fucking asshole, Sean." Danny cried furiously but began breathing on his own as he shook violently, causing Sean to carefully hold him tighter and chuckle amused as he softly ruffled Danny's head.

"Thank you, you spoiled brat. Now, calm your ass down. Why the hell did you take off the monitors, you little prick? Now, it's going to hurt when I put everything back in." Sean said somewhat sternly but caringly as he held Danny protectively.

"Go to hell, you asshole. I'm going home." Danny cried angrily as he shook.

"Like hell you're going home, you brat." Sean said somewhat sternly but caringly. "What are all of you standing around for? Get me a damn gurney right now." He said sternly, causing several nurses and Kevin, Danny's orderly, to bring a gurney to him.

"Let me go, you asshole. I'm going home." Danny cried angrily, causing him to cry angrily and pained when Sean held him tighter. "Aaaaagh! You fucking asshole." He cried angrily out of pain as he tried to hit Sean as he strapped him to the gurney.

"Calm your ass down before you hurt yourself worse. You're not going home, Danny. You're staying right here, you stubborn bastard." Sean said sternly as he laid his hand on Danny's forehead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to him, you filthy little maggot?" Jack said furiously as he angrily grabbed Sean by throat, causing Danny's eyes to bug out of his head.

"Jack, no! Let him go!" Danny pled terrified as tears escaped and he panicked again, causing Sean to push Jack away angrily and several feet away and take a hold of Danny's face.

"Get him into the room right now!" Sean said urgently and they rushed Danny back into his room where Dr. Foster began treating him.

As soon as Danny was rushed into the room, Sean growled furiously and pounced on jack, grabbing him by the collar.

"You, son of a bitch! You better hope that nothing happens to him or you're going to pay hell!" Sean said viciously through gritted teeth, causing Jeff to grab a hold of him and pull him off of Jack.

"What do you think you're doing? Get the hell off of him. What the hell is going on here?" Jeff said angrily as he held Sean tightly.

"Let me go. This has nothing to do with you." Sean said angrily as he freed himself from Jeff's grip. "You better hope that we can stabilize him, you sick bastard." He said viciously and then ran into Danny's s room, causing Jeff to grab a tight hold of Jack when he tried to go after Sean.

"Damn it, Jack. Let it go. The only thing that matters right now is Danny." Jeff said sternly.

"Jack, he's right. Let it go, for now. But I want to know what that was all about. Why the hell did he react like that?" Martin said untrustingly and somewhat angrily all of sudden, but pained.

"This isn't over by a long shot. I'm going to figure out who this prick really is. And I'm going to find out right now." Jack said angrily as he grabbed his phone and then realized that everyone was looking at him.

"What the hell are you standing around looking at me for? Get the hell back to work." Jack said angrily, causing everyone to quickly start working again.

Back in Danny's room, Dr. Foster, Nurse Vicky, Sean and Kevin, were still trying to stabilize him as they reconnected all of the monitors and IV's that he'd taken off.

"Sean, his pressure's 160/110 and his pulse is racing at 130. I'm going to have to give him a sedative." Dr. Foster said seriously as he checked Danny's vitals again, causing Sean to take a strong hold of Danny's face in his hands when Danny shook his head fearfully as tears stained his face.

"Look, I know that you want that sedative so you have to calm down. Do you understand me? Everything's okay now." Sean said sternly but caringly.

"No…it's…not." Danny cried panicked, causing Sean to hold his face tighter and force Danny to look at him when he tried to close his eyes.

"You're not dying on me, you spoiled brat. Wake the hell up. You're just feeling like shit because you're scared to hell and breathing too damn fast. So, slow your breathing down right now before you really piss me off. I know that you're scared but I don't care. I'm not going to lose you now. I'll kick your ass again if I to. Me entiendes?" Sean suddenly said sternly in Spanish, causing Danny to suddenly stop crying and look at him somewhat fearfully but also confused.

"Yeah, I thought that'd get your attention, you little twerp. Just calm down and slow your breathing." Sean suddenly said with a small smile as he sighed heavily in relief when Danny's vitals slowly began to stabilize and he began breathing on his own. "Stop scaring me like that, you twit. What the hell is wrong with you? Why do you always have to panic like that for? I thought you stopped doing that a long time ago." He said somewhat sternly but caringly as he gently ruffled Danny's hair and smiled softly, causing Kevin and Nurse Vicky to look at each other confused.

"Sir, do you know Agent Taylor?" Nurse Vicky asked confused, causing Danny to look at him fearfully.

"Why don't you answer the question, **Dr. Novak? **We're all friends here aren't we?" Jack said seriously and calmly but angrily as he, Martin and Jeff entered the room—they too equally as mad, causing Danny to suddenly look at Jack fearfully when they put their hands on their holsters.

"Shhh. Quedate tranquilo y no tengas miedo que no va ha pasar nada malo. Te lo prometo, hermanito. Tranquilizate y respira tranquilo."_ ["Shhh. Stay calm and don't be afraid because nothing bad is going to happen. I promise, little brother. Just relax and breathe slowly." _Sean said caringly as he soothed Danny's head when Danny's vitals began destabilizing, causing Danny to breathe but still look at him fearfully.

"I want to know right now what the hell is going on and who the hell you are?" Jack said angrily as stood face to face in front of Sean and fisted his hands, causing Danny to grab his hands as tears escaped his eyes and he shook his head at Jack as he wore a terrified look on his face.

"No. Jack, don't. Please, leave him alone." Danny pled quietly but fearfully as he shook.

"Who is he Danny? I want to know right now or I'm hauling his ass down to headquarters." Jack said seriously but with compassionate undertones.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, **Jack**. And you leave Danny alone." Sean said calmly but angrily through gritted teeth as he glared at Jack.

"Who are you?" Martin suddenly said seriously and angrily, causing Sean to sigh heavily.

"This isn't about you, Martin." Sean said with a heavy sigh.

"Like hell it isn't. You've got my partner's life in your hands. But I've been watching your attitude since we were at the office and now that I think about it, I don't like it one bit. Why are you so close to Danny? From what we know, you're not even supposed to be on duty. So, who the hell are you and what do you really want?" Martin said seriously and angrily as he removed the gun from his holster and held in at his side.

"Martin, no! Put the damn gun away, it's not what you think! Leave him alone! Damn it, leave him alone!" Danny cried angrily and fearfully as he covered his face with his violently shaking hands, causing to carefully embrace Danny protectively tight.

"Shhh. I told you not to do that, Danny. You don't have anything to be afraid of. I'm not leaving you again. Okay? I promise, you little twerp." Sean said caringly as he tightly held Danny and the tears he'd been holding back escaped his eyes, causing Danny to quietly shriek furiously as he angrily hit the bed.

"Danny, what the hell is going on? Who the hell is he?" Martin said sternly out of fear.

"Damn it. Leave him alone, Martin. Leave him alone." Danny cried angrily out of fear, causing Dr. Foster to sigh heavily and gently squeeze Danny's shoulder.

"You have to calm down, Agent Taylor. You have to calm down and listen to your brother. Everything will be okay again. You'll see." Dr. Foster said with a heavy sigh as he squeezed Danny's shoulder again, his words causing everyone to bug out and gasped shocked.

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Let me know what you think of this chapter. But please keep in mind that things aren't always as they appear. And a special thanks to ukeleleboy for the help and encouragement through these dark times.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of it's character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

Chapter 10 

"What the hell are you talking about? Brother? Are you out of your damn mind? Danny only has one brother and it's not Novak." Jack said angrily as he tried to grab Sean again, causing Danny to move his pained body in front of Sean so Jack couldn't get to him.

"Jack, please just leave it alone, damn it. Leave him alone." Danny cried angrily and fearfully as he held his head tightly and quietly shrieked violently out of anger, causing Sean to hold him tighter.

"Shhh. Shut up. Just shut up, kiddo. You don't need to say anything. Just calm down and breathe." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly when Danny suddenly held his head tighter and quietly screamed in agonizing pain.

"Damn it. I want all of you out of here right now." Sean said angrily as more tears escaped his eyes and he held Danny tighter.

"Hang on, kiddo. Just breathe slowly and I'll make the pain go away." Sean said as he continued to tightly hold Danny.

"What the hell is going on?" Jack said angrily when he suddenly saw Sean preparing a syringe, causing everyone to yell when Jack, Jeff and Martin aimed their guns at Sean. "Drop the damn syringe! Now!" Jack yelled viciously as he aimed his gun at Sean, causing Danny to grab Jack's wrist and aim the gun at his own chest.

"Damn it! Stop this now! If you want to shoot somebody, shoot me and leave him the hell alone! I know what you're doing and you're damn wrong, Jack! He's not the one trying to kill me, so leave him…the hell alone and kill me instead!" Danny cried angrily and agonizing pain as he began gagging violently and struggling to breathe.

But before Sean could do anything, Danny began vomiting violently as he lost consciousness and his body began convulsing, causing Dr. Foster to throw Jack, Jeff and Martin out of the room.

"Damn it. We're losing him. I'm beginning suctioning. Sean, get ready to tube him when I tell you." Dr. Foster said urgently as he began suctioning Danny.

"Like hell we're losing him. I already lost him once and I'll be damned if I lose him again. No one is ever going to keep me away from him again." Sean said angrily as he grabbed some tubing from the crash cart. "I'm intubating him. And I don't want anyone in here except us. If they want to post themselves at the door, that's fine. But their not coming in again." Sean said angrily as he quickly, but carefully as possible, intubated Danny.

"Unfortunately, I have to agree with you. Agent Taylor can't have anymore visitors." Dr. Foster said seriously as he injected medications into Danny's IV and put a nasal cannula on Danny at the highest pressure.

"I want you to monitor him and check his vitals every ten minutes. I'll be back when I can get him in to get an MRI. I'll be right back." Dr. Foster said seriously as he finished writing in Danny's chart. "Let's go, Sean." He said seriously.

When they made it out into the hall, Jack, Jeff and Martin immediately began asking questions, causing Sean to be stern with them.

"Be quiet. We were able to stabilize Danny for the moment but he had to be suctioned and intubated. And starting right now, he's not having any visitors except for medical personnel. So, you can forget about going anywhere near him again." Sean said gruffly through gritted teeth as he glared at Jack as if he wanted to chew him up and spit him out.

"Like hell we're leaving him alone. And who the hell are you? Don't think for a minute that I buy that brother crap because he's never mentioned anymore brothers. Now, who the hell are you?" Jack said viciously.

"Do not mess with me, **Jack**. If you think that I'm going to let you step all over me and treat me like you do Danny, Martin or anyone else, you're sadly mistaken. You don't know a damn thing about me and you better pray that nothing happens to Danny." Sean seethed viciously as he breathed angrily, causing Dr. Foster to hold on to his shoulders.

"Calm down, Sean. Danny wouldn't want to see you like this. He needs you now more than ever. You have to help him. I know that you're angry right now but all that matters is your little brother's safety and health. Arguing with Agent Malone isn't going to help anyone." Dr. Foster said sternly but caringly.

"The same goes for you, Agent Malone. Stop all this arguing and loathing because the only thing you're doing is hurting Agent Taylor. And the only thing that matters is Agent Taylor." Dr. Foster said sternly, causing him to grab Sean when he growled furiously and tried to pounce on Jack when Jack got in Dr. Foster's face angrily.

"All right, that's enough from both of you right now. And you back away from me." Dr. Foster said sternly as he glared hostilely at Jack.

"Jack!" Viv said urgently as she got out of the elevator and grabbed a hold of Jack's arm. "We need to talk. Now, Jack." Viv said sternly and seriously as she led Jack away. "What the hell is going on with you? Look, you may be angry, but right now you need to stop and take a good look at this." Vivian said sternly but with compassionate undertones as she handed Jack some papers.

Jack read through the papers—it was a long rap sheet for a Sean Rivera, A.K.A. Dr. Sean Novak. Apparently he had been convicted of repeated armed robberies, assault and possession at a young age.

Jack immediately became angry and got in Sean's face holding up the rap sheet in his hands.

"Care to tell me what this is?" Jack said through gritted teeth as he shoved the rap sheet into Sean's hands, causing Sean to see red when he saw that it was his criminal record.

"This is none of your damn business, Jack. So, stay the hell out of it." Sean seethed furiously but calmly through gritted teeth as he shoved his rap sheet back into Jack's chest.

"What's going on, Jack? Who is this guy?" Martin said seriously and somewhat angrily, causing Martin to read the rap sheet and bug out after Jack gave it to him.

"What the hell? Rivera? Didn't Danny…" Martin said shocked and angrily through gritted teeth, causing Sean to sigh heavily.

"Yes, Martin, but it's not what you're thinking. All right? Look, just come with me to my office and I'll explain everything there. Come on." Sean said kindly but with a heavy sigh.

"The only place you're going is downtown." Jack seethed angrily through gritted teeth as he took a tight hold of Sean's arm, causing Viv and Jeff to grab Jack and Dr. Foster to grab Sean when Sean pushed Jack aside angrily.

"That's enough or I'll haul both your asses down to headquarters until you both cool off." Viv said harshly and then took a breath to calm down. "Look, Jack, you need to hear him out. Things aren't what they appear to be." She said sternly but with compassionate undertones.

"I don't give a damn what he thinks. He's just a self-righteous son of a bitch who treats his agents like crap just to make himself feel better." Sean said angrily as he sighed frustrated.

"You don't know a damn thing about him or any of us? Now, what do you really want with Danny? Because if you think that I'm going to let you or anyone hurt him again, you're going to regret the day you ever met me." Martin said angrily all of a sudden, causing Sean to growl frustrated.

"You stubborn, little bastard, Martin. Damn it. I already told you that I'm not here to hurt Danny or any of you. But I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone take him away from me again. Do you understand me? No one is going to keep us apart anymore—not any of you and not that sick son of a bitch Ritchie. Why can't you understand that?" Sean said sternly out of frustration as more tears escaped his eyes and he angrily wiped them away.

"I don't think this is the appropriate place to discuss this. Now, let's go to my office and talk there." Dr. Foster said seriously as he took a tight hold of Sean's arm.

"Fine. But there's not a chance in hell that we're leaving Danny alone." Jack said gruffly as he glared at Sean.

"I told you that he's not alone." Sean said angrily but calmly as he glared at Jack.

"Excuse me. But Agent Taylor's vitals are unstable again and he's struggling to wake up." Nurse Vicky said concerned as she came out into the hall, causing everyone to rush into room fearfully.

When they made it inside the room, Danny was thrashing weakly and his vitals were unstable, causing Sean to immediately take a tight hold of Danny's hand in his own as he soothed Danny's head.

"Shhh. Hey, what's wrong, kiddo? You're safe here in the hospital with me. I promise. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you and I'll make Ritchie pay for everything he's done to you, okay kiddo?" Sean said caringly as more tears escaped his eyes when Danny thrashed weakly and his mouth gaped like a fish out of water as he tried to talk.

"Shhh. Don't try to talk, little bro. You got sick on me and I had to intubate you, but you'll be okay in a little while after you sleep." Sean said caringly but Danny continued trying to talk.

"Now, didn't he tell you to get some sleep? I heard him loud and clear. You're still not too old for a good ear pulling, Danny. Or better yet, a spanking." Viv teased lightly as she took a hold of Danny's hand in her own.

"_Viv? Viv, is that you?" _Danny silently cried confused, causing Sean to smile softly and soothe Danny's head when tears escaped his closed eyes.

"That's right, kiddo. You're not dreaming. Vivian's right here with you like always. Now, I wasn't going to let anyone stay here. But, what if I let her stay with you for a few minutes while I go talk to Martin and the guys? Would you like that? Hmm?" Sean asked caringly, causing Danny to weakly squeeze his hand as more tears escaped his eyes.

"And who told you that I was going to leave Danny alone? Whether you or anyone else in this hospital likes it or not, I'm staying right here with him. And there's not a damn thing you or anyone is going to do that's going to make me leave. Now go to the office and tell Jack what's going on while I stay here with Danny." Viv said sternly and with conviction as she held Danny's hand tighter.

"And both of you stop this damn bickering because I'm not going to stand for it. Right now the only thing that matters is Danny, not either of your egos." Viv said sternly, causing Sean to suddenly chuckle amused when he saw Danny's closed eyes crinkled in mirth.

"You were right, little brother. Vivian is a feisty one." Sean chuckled amused as he softly ruffled Danny's head. "All right. I'll let her stay here taking care of you until I finish talking to your friends. But you have to get some sleep." Sean said caringly but it caused Danny's face to become distressed.

"_Sean, no! Don't let her stay here! Ritchie's going to kill her family! Please!" _Danny silently cried fearfully as his vitals became unstable again.

"Damn it. Calm down, Danny. I know that you're scared but I won't let you down, I promise." Sean said sternly but fear was clearly evident in his voice.

"Vivian, he's scared because of you, because you're not with your family. Ritchie told him that he's going to kill all of you—you and your family, Jack and his girls, Martin, Jeff and anyone else who gets in his way. That's why he's panicking. He doesn't want anything to happen to your son or husband just because you want to be here." Sean said urgently, causing Viv to immediately take a careful hold of Danny's face.

"Now, Danny, you cut that crap out right now. You know that I'm not going to let anything happen to Reggie or Marcus. I already had them moved to a safe house with agents posted 24/7. And I called Chicago and had Jack's girls and Maria put under protective custody there. And Victor has been informed and has been moved to a secured location by armed escorts. So, calm down because nothing's going to happen to any of us." Viv said sternly but caringly as more tears escaped Danny's closed eyes.

"You see, kiddo. Nothing's going to happen to any of your friends, okay. But you have to calm down or I'm going to have to get her out of here and I don't want to do that. And I'm not stupid. I know that you're scared that that bastard Ritchie's going to get you here but you're wrong. I'm not going to let anyone near you. I'll kill that sick son of bitch before I let him hurt you again. So, just get some sleep and let's see if I can't get that annoying tube out of you. Okay? But I need you to calm down and go to sleep first because I don't want it to hurt when I take it out." Sean said sternly but caringly as tears escaped his eyes and he tightly held Danny's hand between both his own.

"_Please don't leave me, you promised." _Danny silently cried upset and fearfully but almost like a child as he thrashed weakly.

"Stop that. Yo no te voy ha dejar solo, hermanito. Te lo juro, como te juro que no voy ha permitir que ese maldito animal se salga con las suyas. Yo voy hacerle pagar todo el sufrimiento que te ha hecho vivir y le voy hacer lo mismo que te hizo ha ti. Y tampoco voy ha parar aunque me lo pida de rodilla." [_"I'm not going to leave you alone, little brother, I swear. Just like I swear that I'm not going to let that damn animal get away with this. I'm going to make him pay all of the suffering that he's put you through and put him through it, only ten times worse. But I'm not going to stop even if he begs me on his knees." _Sean said with conviction as tears of anger and hurt escaped his eyes, causing Danny's vitals to slowly stabilize.

"That's good, Danny. Just relax and stay here with Vivian and I'll be back in a few minutes to check on you." Sean said caringly as he sniffled and softly ruffled his head then he turned to Kevin, Danny's orderly.

"Kevin, stay here with him and don't leave the room. The only ones allowed near him are the people in this room. No other staff is allowed in this room and if anyone says that we sent them, get security immediately but don't leave Danny alone for a second. Is that understood? He's your only obligation right now and his security and health are the only things that matter. Is that understood?" Sean whispered seriously so that Danny couldn't here him.

"I understand, boss. He's in good hands." Kevin said kindly, causing everyone else to leave the room and go to Dr. Foster's office a few feet away.

When they finally got to the office, everyone was a bit calmer. But not Jack, Jeff or Martin trusted Sean as far as they could throw him. And the only reason they were okay to leave Danny, was because Viv was with him and they knew that she'd keep him safely guarded like a mother lion protecting its cubs.

"Now, what's this all about, **Novak**? Who are you really and how is it that we don't know a damn thing about you?" Jack said calmly but tersely as he glared at Sean.

"I'm sick of your attitude, **Jack**." Sean said calmly but irately as he tried to cool his temper.

"Sean." Dr. Foster warned seriously, causing him to huff angrily.

"Look, that's enough. I want to know what the hell is going on. And if you're really Danny's brother, where the hell have you been all this time and why hasn't he ever mentioned you?" Martin said irately and then hissed pained and angrily when his ribs retaliated and caused him pain.

"Martin, sit down before you hurt yourself. I already told you that your ribs are going to be sore for a while." Sean said concerned as he tried to sit Martin on the couch in Dr. Foster's office, causing Martin to glare at him and weakly push him away. "Sit down or I won't tell you anything. I promised Danny that I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I'm going to keep that promise. So, stop being so stubborn and sit down." Sean said sternly but understandingly as he sat Martin down.

"Good. Now, I know that you have a lot of questions. But you have to believe me when I tell you that I am technically Danny's brother no matter what any stupid social worker said or did and no one is going to keep us apart again. And secondly, I'm not here to hurt Danny. I'm here to help him and get that son of a bitch Ritchie for taking him away from me." Sean said with conviction as he sighed heavily and sat next to Martin.

"What are you talking about? If what Danny said is true, the Riveras were only a horrible foster family who never gave a damn about him even when he tried to stay out of trouble." Martin said calmly but irate.

"Danny wasn't talking about me. He was talking about our foster parents and it's true. They were bastards who didn't care about us. I was put with them before Danny and they didn't care about anything but the money they were getting for us from the government. But Danny and I hit it off from the moment we met. And even though we didn't exactly do the right things when we were together, we were always together—with Ritchie." Sean said softly as he swallowed hard.

"Wait a minute. How do you know Ritchie?" Jeff said seriously but confused.

"Ritchie didn't like me at first but Danny told him that he wasn't going to leave me alone. So, in the end, Danny convinced Ritchie to let me hang out with them. Now, yes, what you saw in the rap sheet is real. But I was just a stupid kid back then who was mad at the world because no one gave a damn about me except Danny. But then that cop busted Danny when he tried to steal from him and took him away." Sean said as his voice broke and tears escaped his escaped.

"If that's true, why do you blame Ritchie for taking him away and not Danny's adoptive dad?" Jack said gruffly as he tried to decide whether Sean was lying or not.

"There's no way that I could hate Danny's old man. He was a hard ass, but he always let me visit Danny—even though he never left us alone in the same room. He even helped me get my head on straight and got me out of that house and into another foster home with a great dad." Sean suddenly said smiling softly as he looked at Dr. Foster.

"You?" Jack said gruffly. "--'Known him since he was in diapers'--my ass." Jack said harshly but Dr. Foster only smiled.

"You're lying. His last name is Foster." Jeff said sternly.

"He's not lying. My full name is Dr. Adam Novak Foster. I gave him my first name and moved him out here after the incident with Daniel and Richard." Dr. Foster said with a heavy sigh.

"What did that have to do with you? According to Danny, his father's partner stopped Ritchie from killing Danny." Jack said gruffly but confused.

"His partner may have stopped Ritchie from killing Danny. But that didn't stop Ritchie from nearly killing me." Sean said through gritted teeth as tears of anger escaped his eyes as he removed his shirt, causing Jack, Jeff and Martin to hiss when they saw a huge scar from his chest to his belly button.

"What the hell happened to you, man?" Martin said somewhat gruffly but quite bugged out at the sight before him.

"That day, Ritchie nearly beat me to death until I told him where Danny was. He finally stopped and dragged me to Danny's house and told him that I didn't care about him and had given him up easily but he knew Ritchie was lying because I was still covered in blood. Anyway, Danny's old man tried to get Ritchie to let me go but he wouldn't. That's when he told Danny that he was going to die for killing 'bastian, his brother. But I couldn't let him kill my little brother, so I bit him until he let me go. Ritchie…Ritchie grabbed his gun and cocked it. He was going to shoot…Danny. But I…screamed and…and jumped in front of him. So the bullet got me in the chest and Danny's old man's partner took Ritchie down and cuffed him. I don't remember what happened after that. But when I woke up in the hospital days later, my dad told me that Danny was gone and that I wouldn't see him anymore." Sean quietly cried softly but angrily as he fisted his hands.

"He was so disoriented that he thought Daniel had perished and nearly died himself when he ripped off all of the tubes he was attached to. I finally managed to calm him down and explain that he had moved away to be safe away from Ritchie. But I had no idea where to." Dr. Foster said with a heavy sigh.

"Three years went by and I didn't hear from Danny again. I tried searching all our hangouts and everywhere else I could think of but I had no luck. The only thing that I was told was that Danny's old man had moved him and his family out of the state permanently." Sean softly cried angrily through gritted teeth.

"Then how did you end up in New York? And more importantly, how the hell did you find Danny? And how did that sick bastard find him also?" Martin said seriously.

"As soon as Ritchie got out, he went after me and told me that he was going to kill me if I didn't tell him where Danny was. I told him that I hadn't heard from Danny again since that night but he didn't…he didn't believe me." Sean said shaken suddenly as he wrapped his arms around his chest and shuddered as he tried touching his back, causing Dr. Foster to tightly grab a hold of his face and carefully force Sean to look at him.

"Don't do that. Do you understand me? You stay focused now. Your brother needs your head to be on straight. He doesn't need you to zone out again." Dr. Foster said harshly but caringly, causing Sean to take a couple of heavy breaths until he only shook a little and calmed down.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Sean said as he breathed shakily. "Anyway, Ritchie didn't believe me. So, he decided to do what he knew best." Sean said through gritted as he stood up and turned around, causing the guys to hiss again and even Jack to shake his head at the hideous welts and deep scars that covered Sean's entire back.

"What the hell did that?" Jack said gruffly but he couldn't hide the shock at seeing Sean like that.

"Ritchie did this and he wouldn't stop until he thought that I was dead. He tied my wrists from some rope that was hanging from the ceiling. Then over the next several hours, he beat me with bamboo stick, a whip, he burned my back with a lighter. He even threw water at me and tried to electrocute me but I still wouldn't tell him anything because I didn't know. But even if I'd had, I would've rather died before telling that sick bastard where Danny was. Anyway, I couldn't handle anymore and lost consciousness but he thought I was dead and he left me there beaten, bloodied and hung by my wrists like an animal." Sean softly cried angrily as he hit the couch, causing Jack to momentarily close his eyes and sigh heavily.

"What happened after that? How did you find yourself here in New York?" Jack asked seriously but compassionately.

"I filed a missing person's report and after talking to witnesses and suspects, the police found him in an abandoned warehouse eight hours later. He was so badly beaten and his injuries were so sever that they told me he had no chance of surviving. And I was already a doctor back then and knew that they telling the truth." Dr. Foster said sadly.

"Then, how is it that he's alive today?" Jeff said confused.

"His attack was reported on news channels nationwide. People started writing and sending donations and telling my family and I that we were in their prayers. Well, one of the calls I received was from a doctor at this very hospital. And he told me that he would treat my son free of charge for as long as necessary because he said that Sean was a very special boy who deserved the best life had to offer and that I had a job also waiting for me in New York as the resident chief of staff of this hospital." Dr. Foster said smiling softly.

"That's what he said? Just like that?" Jack said incredulously.

"I know. I didn't trust the guy either. But sure enough, a week later, our things had been packed and we were transferred here and set up in a luxurious townhouse with everything we needed including security. And with the treatments he received, Sean finally regained consciousness a month later. And we've been here since." Dr. Foster said smiling as he squeezed Sean's shoulder, causing Sean to suddenly chuckle crying.

"What is it?" Martin asked confused.

"We didn't find out until eight years later that Uncle Sam had paid for everything—the house, my treatments, everything—thanks to a very special person…Special Agent, Andrew Taylor. It was thanks to him that I'm standing here today, aside from my dad. Apparently he had good connections and not to mention, the big bucks. He was a huge benefactor of this hospital and I guess that they owed him a favor." Sean softly cried smiling, causing the guys to bug out.

"When I found out, I couldn't believe it. I tried looking for him, but all I found out was that he unfortunately lost his life in the line of duty. And that sent my mind spiraling out of control because I never stopped searching for Danny but now that I had found that out, I didn't know if he was still alive or if he'd…anyway. I kept searching for him for a long time but I could never find him." Sean said softly as more tears escaped his eyes.

"How did you find him again?" Jack asked a bit sternly but compassionately because as angry as the young man made him, he could tell that Sean truly cared for his agent and friend Danny Taylor.

"I found him…three years ago. I hadn't had any luck in my search and I was at the end of my ropes when I was watching the news and I saw this report about two agents who saved a little boy from committing suicide. And those two agents were Agents Jack Malone and Danny Taylor of the New York, FBI's Missing Person's Unit." Sean said crying softly but smiling.

"My heart dropped to the floor, I was so scared. What if this wasn't the same Danny I knew? But I had to take a chance, so I looked for the Missing Person's Unit address and went there looking for him." Sean said crying softly as he held his head in his shaking hands.

_Flashback…_

_Sean stood nervously in front of the FBI building and although he was uncertain and scared, he managed to gather all his strength and head inside to the security desk in the lobby. _

"_Can I help you, Sir?" A young female secretary said kindly._

"_Yes, I need to speak with an agent here, Agent Danny Taylor." Sean said kindly as he shook a bit. _

"_Do you have any ID and what's this in regards to?" The secretary said kindly when the elevator opened and out came Agent Taylor holding a cup of coffee. "Agent Taylor, this gentleman is here to see you." She said kindly, causing Sean to pale and shake when Danny stood before him. _

"_Hey, are you okay? What's the matter with you? Come on. Sit down before you fall." Danny sat concerned as he sat Sean down in the lobby couch. "Janice, get me some water for him. Now." Danny said concerned. _

"_Now, how can I help you, buddy? Janice says that you're looking for me." Danny asked kindly but concerned several minutes later after Sean drank the water and got some color back on his face. _

"_You're Agent Taylor? Danny Taylor, son of Special Agent Andrew Taylor from Miami?" Sean asked as he cried softly and shook, causing Danny to pale a little. _

"_Who are you?" Danny said sternly as he breathed a little faster out of fear, causing him to grab Sean when he quietly shook and cried stunned. "Who are you?" He said shaken. _

"_Danny." Sean quietly cried shaken and tightly embraced Danny as he shook. "Danny, how could you forget me? How could you forget me, Sean, your big brother?" Sean quietly cried emotionally out of shock as he held Danny tightly and shook, causing Danny to gasp in complete shock and bug out as he began shaking slightly._

_TBC…_

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A/N: As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated and helpful. Let me know if you want me to continue or not.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

"_Danny." Sean quietly cried shaken and tightly embraced Danny as he shook. "Danny, how could you forget me? How could you forget me, Sean, your big brother?" Sean quietly cried emotionally out of shock as he held Danny tightly and shook, causing Danny to gasp in complete shock and bug out as he began shaking slightly._

_TBC…Below…Enjoy!_

Chapter 11

_Danny couldn't believe his ears as he shook his head and his eyes bugged out. _

"_No. This isn't real. Who the hell are you?" Danny said angrily but terror was all too clearly evident in his voice as he shook, causing Sean to tighten his hold of Danny when Danny tried to push him away. _

"_Danny, please don't do this. I'm Sean, your big brother and you promised that we'd always take care of each other. Don't you remember? We hit it off as soon as you got to the Riveras' house—but they were bastards and didn't give a shit about us except for the money that they got for us. You used to hang out with Ritchie. He went to prison when he tried to shoot you but I couldn't let him kill you and he shot me instead. Damn it. If I'm not real then how would I know all that, Danny?" Sean quietly cried terribly upset as he shook and held Danny tightly, until Danny managed to pull away from him. _

"_I don't know what the hell you're talking about or who you are. Now, leave before I have security escort you out." Danny said calmly but angrily through gritted teeth out of fear, as he stood up and headed toward the elevators, causing Sean to cry angrily out of fear and slam Danny into the wall as he grabbed him by the collar. _

"_Damn it. Danny, listen to me. I'm not leaving you now, you stubborn little prick. I've been looking for you since what happened with Ritchie. But I haven't found you until now—until I saw you on TV—Agent Danny Taylor—Taylor, just like your dad. Now, before coming here, I wasn't sure that it was you. But now that I'm here and you're reacting like this, I know that it's you, Danny and I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me." Sean quietly cried angrily and emotionally but also fearfully. _

"_Unless you want to keep your hands, I suggest you get your damn hands off of me right now and walk out of that damn door." Danny said angrily but calmly through clenched teeth as he struggled not to cry. _

"_I'm not going anywhere. You have know idea the fucking hell I've been through all these years searching for you, not knowing if you were dead or alive. If you don't believe me, I'll prove it. But I'm not going to lose you again now, little brother." Sean quietly cried angrily as he grabbed Danny's collar tight. _

_Sean was going to continue but couldn't when two armed guards pushed him away from Danny. Sean wrestled the guards until he got free, causing him to inadvertently elbow Danny in the face when Danny grabbed him from behind. _

_The blow to his face was so brutal, that Danny began bleeding profusely and fell to his knees, stunned; causing Sean to gasp horrified and grab a hold of Danny as he sat him to the wall. _

"_Danny, no! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that but you have to believe me, please. Look, look at picture, Danny. Please. It's you and me together the week you arrived at house. You wrote on the back of it. Please, just look at it. And if you don't believe me, look at me. Here's my proof, Hermanito. This is where Ritchie shot me after I jumped in front of the gun that he was aiming at you." Sean quietly cried upset as he showed Danny a picture of themselves as young boys and removed his shirt to expose a terrible scar from his chest to his belly button._

_As soon as Danny saw the scar and the picture, his eyes widened in horror and he began shaking violently as tears escaped his eyes and he gasped for air slightly. _

"_No, this isn't happening, you're dead!" Danny said terribly shaken as he shook violently, causing Sean to quietly cry upset and embrace him protectively tight as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child. _

"_Danny, I'm not dead. I've been searching for you for so long but I haven't found you until now. I don't know if you found out or not, but Ritchie nearly beat me to death when he got out because I wouldn't tell him where you were. He thought he'd killed me and left me tied to the ceiling of an empty warehouse until they found me. But the beating was so severe that I was in a coma for a month and in that time, someone had me and my foster family transferred here to New York. But I didn't find out until eight years later that I'm still here because it was made possible thanks to your dad." Sean quietly cried emotionally as he tightened his hold on Danny. _

"_No, you're supposed to be dead. This isn't real." Danny quietly cried terribly upset as he shook and held his head. _

"_I'm sorry but this isn't a dream, kiddo. I'm real. And yeah, I'm supposed to be dead but I'm not. I couldn't die knowing that you were out there somewhere. And as painful as my recovery was, the only thing that got me through it, was knowing that one day I'd find you again. And now that I have, I'm not going to let you go, Danny. You can kick my ass all you want but I'm not going anywhere." Sean quietly cried emotionally as he continued to hold Danny tightly as Danny continued bleeding from his nose. _

"_If you weren't dead, you should've come looking for me. You should've tried harder." Danny quietly cried angrily and terribly upset as he shook and held his face, causing Danny to quietly cry horrified when Sean turned around and Danny saw the hideous scars and welts that covered his entire back. "What the hell is that?" He quietly cried horrified, causing Sean to hold him tighter as he held and soothe the back of his head._

"_Shhh. I told you that I wasn't lying, munchkin. This is the reason why I couldn't look for you back then. It took several years of painful surgeries, rehab and psychological therapy for me to fully recover. This is what Ritchie did to me after he got out after the three years he did, because I wouldn't tell him where you were. I told him that I didn't know but he didn't believe me and caused this. But even if I had known where you were, hell would've frozen over ten times, before I had told him a damn thing. I would rather have gone through all that again, knowing that he couldn't get to you." Sean quietly cried upset but emotionally, causing Danny to quietly shriek horrified and take an extremely tight hold of Sean as he cried and shook violently and blood continued gushing from his nose. _

"_Agent Taylor, Sir, do you need an ambulance?" One armed guard said urgently but Danny shook his head. "Sir?" He said concerned. _

"_Gary, it's okay. He's my brother. Just leave it alone, I'll be fine." Danny quietly cried pained as he held Sean tighter, causing Sean to quietly cry more and also tighten his hold. _

"_Shhh. I'm going to care of you, I swear. I'm never going to leave you alone again." Sean quietly cried with conviction as he held Danny tightly and they both cried. _

_It took nearly ten minutes but they both finally managed to calm down enough to talk but neither would let go of the other. However, Sean knew that he had to care of his little brother now and let go of him, causing Danny to quietly cry upset again and hold him tighter._

"_Shhh. I'm not going anywhere, kiddo. I'm just going to make sure that you're okay, but first I need you to look at me. Come on, munchkin." Sean cried softly but caringly as he carefully leaned Danny against the wall, causing Danny to groan pained and hold his nose and forehead. _

"_Damn it. I'm sorry, kiddo. I'm going to have to get you to the hospital and get some x-rays to make sure that nothing's broken." Sean softly cried emotionally as he grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and applied pressure to Danny's nose. _

"_No, I'm not going to the hospital. I'll be fine." Danny cried somewhat fearfully as he tried to get up but Sean held him to the wall. _

"_Don't even think about it, Danny. You could have a fractured nose and a neck injury. I'm taking you to the hospital. I'm calling my head nurse to set up a CT and some x-rays." Sean said sniffling as he tried to regain his composure and took a hold of Danny's wrist with two fingers, causing Danny to look at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Sorry, little brother. I guess I forgot to tell you that I became a doctor and that my dad and I work together at St. Luke's just a few blocks away." Sean said caringly._

"_You're a doctor?" Danny quietly cried confused but shocked, causing Sean to hold his face with one hand. _

"_Yes, I'm a doctor. But I was able to become a doctor because your father had great people take care of me and also because he gave me a great dad. Now it's time for me repay him, Danny. From now on, I'm not going to let anything happen to you, kiddo. I swear on my life that I'm going to take care of you. We're not going to be alone anymore—we're going to have each other, little brother." Sean said caringly as he sniffled, causing Danny to quietly cry extremely emotionally and hold him tightly as he shook. _

"_Shhh. Please calm down now, okay? I need to get you to the hospital. I already and my head nurse set everything up so you won't have to wait. Come on." Sean said caringly several, long minutes later as he carefully stood Danny up from the floor, causing Danny to shake his head. _

"_No, I'm not going to any hospital. I'm staying right here, I'm fine. I'll just clean up and get back to work. I have too much work to do." Danny said slightly fearful as he stuttered and tried to leave but Sean took a hold of him and sighed frustrated. _

"_You're not going anywhere, Danny, except to the hospital with me to get checked. Now, come on, kiddo." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly but Danny shook his head and moved away from Sean as he went a bit bug-eyed._

"_Sean, I said no. I'm fine." Danny said slightly seriously and angrily but fear was clearly evident in his voice and it caused Sean to sigh heavily and soothe his head like a child. _

"_Kiddo, are you still afraid of hospitals? Even now?" Sean said sympathetically, causing Danny to shake his head no. "Come on. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going take care of you myself and I'll even ask dad to take care of you also." Sean said caringly as he took a hold of Danny's arm carefully but Danny shook his head. _

"_I said I'm fine, Sean." Danny said seriously out of fear. _

"_Agent Taylor, I don't mean to pry but you should really listen to the gentleman. You should go and get checked out. Just go and I'll cover for you with Jack. If he asks, I'll just tell him that you had some bad takeout for lunch and had to go home. But you should really go because you don't look so good." Agent Chuck said concerned but Danny couldn't answer him as he looked at him fearfully. _

"_Hey, come on, Danny. You don't have to be scared, all right? I'll do all the exams and I'll take you back to your house after I get your results and make sure that you're really okay. What do you say, Danny? Please, I don't want to lose you again now, little brother. We've got too many lost years to catch up on. Please." Sean whispered as his voice shook, causing Danny to hold him tightly and nod. _

"_Okay." Danny quietly said fearfully but somewhat like a child, causing Sean to embrace him tightly. _

"_All right, let's get you to the hospital, kiddo." Sean said caringly and then turned to Agent Chuck. "Remember, cover for him. Don't let that Jack find out what really happened here." He said seriously. _

"_Don't worry about anything. Just get him looked at. He doesn't look good." Agent Chuck said concerned, causing Sean to nod. _

"_Come on, kiddo. We're out of here." Sean said concerned and then led Danny out of FBI Headquarters. _

_End of flashback…_

"Wait a minute. Why was he so afraid and what happened when you got him to the hospital?" Martin said somewhat seriously and still a bit untrusting, causing Sean to sigh heavily.

"Martin, I thought I already told you that I'm not here to hurt anyone—much less you and Danny." Sean said with a heavy sigh as tears stained every crevice of his face.

"Look, just answer the questions. What happened and why was Danny so scared?" Martin said with a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know if you guys know what happened with his real parents. But his father used to beat Danny really badly. One time he even broke Danny's arm. But because of what he did, doctors had to put Danny's arm back in place and he suffered so much pain that he felt like they were trying to kill him. So, from then on, he'd never set foot in a doctor's office or ER if he felt sick or hurt." Sean said softly.

"So, what happened that day when you brought him here?" Jack asked seriously.

"That was a very ugly situation. I met Sean downstairs in Radiology when they arrived. Daniel was a bit ashen but Sean got him to change into the hospital gown and then took him to the MRI suite. Well, that all changed when we got him on the MRI table." Dr. Foster said a bit concerned.

"That's when Danny began panicking and said that he was leaving, that he was okay." Sean said as more tears escaped his eyes. "He started thrashing like a wild animal being trapped by a hunter and tried to hit me but me and dad grabbed him tightly. But he was so scared and combative that I had to put him to sleep." Sean said with a heavy sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Sean was able to calm Daniel down with the sedative and managed to run all of the tests while he was still asleep. Thankfully, the tests came back negative and he only had a bruised nose." Dr. Foster said with a soft sigh.

"How long did you keep him here and what happened after he left the hospital?" Jack said calmly as he realized that Sean was telling the truth.

"He woke up about three or four hours later and I told him that he was okay. But I told that I wouldn't let him go until I finished my shift at seven p.m. He was mad and bit my head off but since I knew that he was going to try to leave, I posted security at his door and discharged him a few minutes before I finished my shift. After that, I took him home and we kept talking about everything that we had been through since we were separated and we promised that we wouldn't let that happen again—that from now on, we'd always take care of each other. And that's…that's how…it's been since then, until that sick bastard found my little brother again." Sean suddenly cried angrily through gritted teeth, but he became so angry that Jack grabbed a tight hold of his hand when he tried to hit the wall.

"Cut the crap right now. Hurting yourself isn't going to help Danny, is it? So, sit your ass down right now and relax. Now, tell me how this Ritchie found Danny." Jack said sternly out of concern.

"I don't know how the hell he found Danny, but he did six months ago and ever since then he's made Danny's life a living hell and I'm going to make that son of a bitch pay for what he's done to him." Sean cried angrily through gritted teeth as his face twisted in fury.

"There's one thing that I don't understand. Why didn't you say anything at the office when you and your partner picked Danny up? And why didn't you say anything here?" Martin said with a frustrated sigh, causing Sean to shake his head as more tears escaped his eyes.

"When we got the call, I had no idea that it was Danny. I thought that an agent or suspect had been hurt. And when I saw him, I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach. But I couldn't say anything because I promised Danny that I wouldn't. Look, Danny always talks about you guys and how things are going at work. He thinks of you guys like family and cares about all of you. But when Ritchie found him again six months ago, he made me swear that no matter what happened to him, I wouldn't say anything to anyone. He made me promise because he said that he didn't want Ritchie to find out who I really was and hurt me again or kill me this time. I told him that I couldn't do it anymore and he got mad at me." Sean softly cried upset.

"That's when you confronted me earlier about his behavior toward Daniel and Agent Fitzgerald." Dr. Foster said as he soothed Sean's head like a child to calm him down.

_Flashback…_

_Sean went in to check on Danny and found him upset as his vitals became a bit elevated. _

_Sean had his back to the window as he talked to Danny. But Danny looked angry and distressed, causing Sean to take a tight hold of Danny's left hand and hold Danny's shoulder with his other. No one knows what they were talking about but whatever it was, it caused Danny to look furious as he began crying again._

"_Danny, we need to talk." Sean said gently. "Look, I think it's time that we told your team the truth, that I'm your brother and that I'm helping you. If we don't, they're going to try to take me down or something because they already don't trust me—especially Jack." Sean explained gently and caringly but with a heavy sigh, causing Sean to take a tight hold of Danny's left hand and hold Danny's shoulder with his other when Danny became furious and began crying again._

"_No. Damn it, Sean. You can't do this to me. You swore to me that you wouldn't say anything. Now, you dare try to go back on it? Well, I'm not going to let it happen, you bastard." Danny quietly cried angrily out of fear_

_As soon as that happened, Sean grabbed a hold of both of Danny's shoulders and carefully forced Danny to look at him. _

"_Listen to me. I know that you're scared but the truth is that we can't do this alone, kiddo. We need help. We need your team's help or Ritchie's just going to en up killing you. And I can't let that happen. I can't lose you forever, little brother. I need you." Sean quietly said sternly as his voice broke and he struggled not to cry._

_But Sean's words only made him cry angrier as he spoke to Sean._

"_Damn it. I don't care about what happens to me. Why the hell can't you understand that? If they find out what Ritchie's doing, he's going to kill Jack and the rest of the team. Now, why the hell can't you understand, Sean? You can't do this to me. I hate you." Danny quietly cried angrily out of fear until he let his body sag in defeat, causing Sean to shake his head and carefully embrace Danny protectively as tears escaped his eyes. _

"_Shhh. I know that you don't hate me, munchkin. You love me like I love you too, little brother. So, that's why I'm begging you to please let's talk to your team and tell them what's going on. Please." Sean said softly but with conviction._

"_I can't. I don't want anything to happen to them or you. Please, please don't say anything yet, Sean. Please." Danny quietly cried terribly upset as he shook, causing Sean to hold him tighter._

"_Shhh. Okay, little guy. We won't say anything yet but we will have to talk to them before I can discharge you. Okay? And that's not up for negotiation." Sean said sternly but caringly but Danny couldn't answer him as he let his body sag in defeat_

_End of flashback…_

"That's when we confronted you before. But none of that explains your reaction toward me." Martin said somewhat untrustingly, causing Sean to sigh heavily.

"I'm only taking care of you, Martin, like Danny asked me to. He's talked about you so much that I'd figured you and Jack would be wearing tights with big, red 'S'-s on the front. And I promised him that I wouldn't let anything happen to you while you were here." Sean said as he smiled softly and bit his lips.

"What's that supposed to mean? And what the hell is all that medication that you've been giving me?" Martin said somewhat angrily when he suddenly began shaking a little, causing Sean to look at him sympathetically and take a hold of his wrist with two fingers.

"I'm sorry, kiddo, I really am. But what Nurse Vicky gave you before was a tranquilizer. And I gave it to you because my little brother wanted to make sure that he could keep you out of harm's way by keeping you here sedated. So, don't get scared if you feel lightheaded. And I'm sorry because I know that you're really pissed off but you have to understand that I did it to help keep[p you safe and it's also the least that I could do for you treating Danny like a brother and watching out for him when I couldn't be around." Sean said kindly as tears escaped his eyes.

Martin was angry but when he was about to chew out Sean, all hell broke loose as gunfire erupted in the hospital.

"_Security alert to room 341! I repeat, security alert to room 341! Code Silver! Code Silver!" A voice said urgently through the loudspeaker._

"Danny, no!" Sean yelled horrified as they all left from the office and rushed to Danny's room, causing everyone to gasp horrified at the sight before them as tears stained Sean's horrified face.

TBC?

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Code Silver-In some hospitals, it means that there is a combative person armed with a weapon.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always, they are gratefully appreciated. But remember that it's up to all of you out there to decide whether or not I should continue. BTW, Agent Chuck belongs to Without A Trace. He's been in a few of the episodes and I've always liked him so decided to give him a few lines in this modest fic.


	12. Chapter 12

Slipping Into Darkness

A/N: There is swearing in this chapter, so be warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

"_Security alert to room 341! I repeat, security alert to room 341! Code Silver! Code Silver!" A voice said urgently through the loudspeaker._

"Danny, no!" Sean yelled horrified as they all left from the office and rushed to Danny's room, causing everyone to gasp horrified at the sight before them as tears stained Sean's horrified face.

Chapter 12

When they got to Danny's room, they were horrified at the scene before them. Kevin was on the ground with a bullet wound to his left shoulder and right leg as he screamed in agonizing pain. Viv was on the floor next to Danny's bed as blood gushed from head and she lay lifeless.

But what horrified everyone was that the gunman had ripped the tubing out of every crevice of Danny's body. Now, Danny was covered in blood and choking to death as the gunman held him up by pulling his hair and held a gun to Danny's head, causing Jack, Jeff and Martin to aim their guns at him.

"Drop the goddamn gun now!" Jack yelled furiously.

"Drop it!" Jeff and Martin yelled fiercely as Martin tried to move closer to him.

"Don't move or he's going to die right here! Now, I'm getting out of here so back the hell off!" The gunman seethed viciously as he pulled Danny's hair tighter, causing him to laugh sadistically when Danny weakly cried in agony. "You're so pathetic. I can't believe it's taken Ritchie this long to find you, you piece of filth. But it doesn't matter because you're going to die like filthy animal that you are." He sneered at Danny and as he cocked his gun.

"Get your fucking hands off him!" Sean said furiously as tears stained his face, causing Danny to cry weakly as he coughed and blood spewed from his mouth. "I'm going to fucking kill you!" He yelled furiously, causing Jeff to be harsh with him.

"Get the hell out of here now before I arrest your ass! Now!" Jeff shouted angrily out of fear for Danny's safety as he pushed Sean out of the room. "Give it up! You're not leaving this damn room!" Jeff yelled angrily.

"He's the only one that's not getting out of this room! He's going to pay for what he did!" The gunman sneered evilly. "Goodbye, Danny!" The gunman said with a sadistic smile as he put his finger on the trigger, causing Danny to weakly cry fearfully as blood continued gushing from his body.

The gunman was going to shoot Danny and the guys were about to start shooting, when all of a sudden, the gunman began screaming in agony as he dropped his gun. Apparently, he was so busy trying to kill Danny that he didn't see Kevin reaching for a scalpel that had fallen on the ground, causing Kevin to stab the back of the gunman's thigh and then grab his gun when it fell to the floor.

That gave Jack, Jeff and Martin the opportunity they needed to take down the madman. Jack sent a wicked right hook to the gunman's face that caused blood to immediately gush from his nose and mouth. He continued being combative as they tried to take him down. So, Jeff and Martin got in a couple of punches and kicks as they cuffed the now unarmed gunman.

"Viv!" Jeff yelled frightfully as he knelt beside her and checked for a pulse, causing him to sigh heavily in relief when he found one. "Viv? Viv, come on. Wake up, honey. Don't do this. Wake up. You're not dying on us." Jeff said fearfully as he got some dressing and applied pressure to Viv's head with his shaking hands, but she wouldn't wake up, causing Dr. Foster to immediately begin treating Viv while Sean treated Danny.

"Get this piece of shit out of here and back to headquarters before I kill him. Go." Jack seethed viciously as he pulled the gunman's hair like he had done to Danny just seconds before and then handed him off to Agent Chuck and another agent who had arrived at the hospital with Viv but remained downstairs until they heard the shots and calls for help.

The gunman was escorted away, causing Sean to run and grab a hold of Danny as Nurse Vicky and several other doctors and nurses arrived in the room and began treating Danny, Viv and Kevin.

"How is she?" Jack said angrily out of fear.

"Luckily, the bullet only grazed her forehead but she has a bad gash on her head, probably from when she fell and hit the crash cart. She's going to need sutures and she'll wake up feeling like she's got a hangover but she's going to be okay." Dr. Foster explained concerned when Kevin suddenly screamed in pain.

"How the hell is he?" Jack asked gruffly as his Adrenaline went into overdrive.

"He's got bullet wounds to his shoulder and leg and he's lost a lot of blood. We're taking him to surgery now." The doctor treating Kevin said urgently as they tried to stop the bleeding and hooked him up to IV's and other medical equipment.

"I want notification when he comes out of surgery and I want the bullets as evidence." Jack said urgently as gruffly and then tightly held Kevin's hand in a brotherhood grip before they left the room. "Thank you. You saved his life." Jack said a bit gruffly but kindly.

"I couldn't let him kill the kid. We're going to go out looking for pretty nurses." Kevin said with a weak smile but obviously pained, causing Jack to suddenly smile amused.

"I'm sure you will but Danny's probably going to get more women than you. He's a real lady's man." Jack said amused.

"We have to go." The doctor said urgently.

"You'll be all right and I'll talk to you after surgery. Good luck." Jack said urgently but kindly as he released Kevin's hand and they rushed him out of the room.

"Danny, Danny, calm down. Everything is going to be okay. I promise. You're going to be all right." Sean said urgently as he hooked Danny up to IV's and monitors again and tried to manage Danny's bleeding.

"Viv!" Danny cried weakly but terrified.

"Calm down, Danny. She's all right, kiddo. She didn't get shot and all she needs is a few stitches. But Dr. Foster gave her something for the hangover headache she feels. So, Viv's going to sleep for a little while. But she's all right, I promise." Jeff said caringly but nervously, causing Danny to weakly shake his head as he cried exhausted.

"It's the truth Danny. So, calm down and let Sean take are of you." Martin said sternly but caringly he took a tight hold of Danny's hand in his own, causing Danny to cry weakly but terrified when Martin suddenly collapsed on the floor.

"Martin! Martin, wake up!" Jack said horrified as he took a hold of Martin and hit his face but Martin wouldn't respond, causing Sean to tightly but carefully hold Danny when he panicked and tried to get out of bed.

"Martin!" Danny yelled weakly but fearfully as tears stained every crevice of his face.

"Both of you calm down right now. Danny, don't you remember, munchkin? You asked me to give Martin some sedative to keep him safe here and I did that earlier. That's why he collapsed. But he's only sleeping, I promise. The sedative kicked in a little while ago but he's been fighting it. He's all right. All of you are going to be all right. And now that that son of a bitch is in custody, your team is going to find Ritchie and I'm going to make him pay for what he did to us. I swear." Sean said with conviction as more tears escaped his eyes and he held Danny carefully tight.

"No, nothing's going to be okay, Sean. Ritchie's going to kill everybody now when he finds out that we have his henchman. This is all my fault. This is all my fault." Danny weakly cried distraught until he went limp in Sean's arms, causing Jack and Jeff to gasp horrified.

"Calm down. He's going to be okay but he's going to be sleeping for the next several hours because I gave him Demerol and other drugs. But I'm going to escort Danny, Martin and Viv to a safer room that's only going to be allowed access by your team, myself and Dr. Foster and Nurse Vicky. So, I'm going to leave him here…" Sean said as more tears escaped his eyes again but couldn't continue when Dr. Foster cut him off.

"No, Sean. You stay here and take care of Daniel. Your shift is already over anyway. Just stay with Daniel and I'll got set up a secured room for them. But only we will know the location and no one else. Excuse me." Dr. Foster said seriously and then left the room.

"Oh, my God, Jack. What about Sam, where is she?" Jeff suddenly asked concerned, causing Jack to dial Sam but she didn't answer.

"Sam's not answering her phone. Jeff, I want you down at headquarters right now and see if you can find her. If she's there, don't let her leave the building. And find out everything you can on this sick son of a bitch and where this Ritchie is. Whatever it takes. Do you understand me? Whatever it takes." Jack said through gritted teeth as he grabbed Jeff's shoulder.

"Whatever it takes, Jack. I'll keep you posted." Jeff said with conviction. "But keep me posted on the team's condition and watch yourself." Jeff said seriously.

"I will. Now go and be careful. Call me when you get inside. Go." Jack said seriously but caringly as he roughly squeezed Jeff's shoulder.

"I will, Jack." Jeff said with conviction as he rushed out of the room and toward FBI Headquarters where a deadly surprise awaited him.

TBC?


	13. Chapter 13

Slipping Into Darkness

A/N: There is swearing in this chapter and it's pretty graphic in some parts, so be warned. And keep in mind that I have no medical knowledge, so don't blame or sue me if I make some medical errors. Remember, this is just for fun.

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue

Chapter 13

While Jack stayed behind in the hospital with his injured team, Jeff headed to FBI Headquarters to interrogate Ritchie's gunman. But Jeff was also concerned about Sam's safety because Jack had tried calling her and she hadn't answered. And now, he'd been calling her for the last fifteen minutes and he still hadn't gotten through to her.

After what seemed like forever, Jeff finally got to headquarters and ran upstairs, causing him to sigh heavily in relief when he saw Sam sitting at her desk.

"Sam, where have you been? We've been trying to call you?" Jeff said seriously out of concern, causing him to suddenly get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach because Sam still hadn't turned around and looked at him. "Sam?" He said calmly but fearfully, causing him to scream when he turned her chair around. "Sam!" Jeff screamed horrified.

Jeff couldn't stomach the sight in front of him as he screamed horrified. Sam's wrists and ankles were tied to the chair and her wrists had been slit, so she was covered in blood. She also had ligature marks on her neck.

Jeff began screaming for help as he cut away the duct tape that bound her limbs, causing Agent Chuck to respond horrified as well. Agent Chuck quickly called for an ambulance and went back to helping Jeff with Sam.

"What the hell happened to her? How long has she been like this?" Jeff yelled angrily as they grabbed a First Aid Kit and applied pressure bandages to Sam's wrists and ankles, luckily they'd found that Sam still had a weak pulse.

"I don't know. We've been down in Interview One but the son of a bitch won't say anything about who's trying to kill the team. We know that it's this Ritchie asshole but he refuses to talk." Agent Chuck said furiously when the paramedics came in.

"What have he got?" The male paramedic said urgently.

"Special Agent Samantha Spade. She was found bound to this chair with her wrists slit and ligatures to her throat. Look, she needs to be taken to St. Luke's. This is an attempted murder, not an accident." Jeff said urgently and angrily out of fear.

"Jeff, I can't get a hold of a hold of Jack." Agent Chuck said seriously as paramedics began treating Sam and hooked her up to several monitors.

"He's in the hospital securing the others. You go with Sam and you don't leave her side for a damn second. Do you understand me? Shoot somebody if you have to, but don't leave her side. I'm going to stay here and get this son of a bitch to talk once and for all. And I don't give a rat's ass what these guys tell you or anyone else, you stay with her. And when you get over there, you ask for Dr. Sean Novak and Dr. Adam Foster. No one gets near Sam except those guys. Do I make myself clear?" Jeff said angrily out of concern.

"I understand, Jeff. But what about Jack? He doesn't know about Sam yet." Agent Chuck said seriously and concerned as they put Sam on the gurney and led her in front of the elevator as they waited for it.

"You let me handle Jack. I'll keep calling him. Just don't leave her side or it's your ass on the line if Jack finds out." Jeff said gruffly as they led Sam into the elevator when it arrived.

"I'm not leaving her alone. I swear on my life. Just get that damn sick freak to talk or I will." Agent Chuck said angrily.

"Oh, he'll talk all right. Go." Jeff said through gritted teeth as he felt his blood boiling like spewing lava, causing the paramedics to leave with Agent Chuck.

The tears he'd been fighting back escaped his eyes as he dialed Jack's phone for the third time in less than a minute, causing Jack to finally answer the phone.

"Malone." Jack barked into the phone.

"Jack, where the hell have you been? Why the hell haven't you answered your damn phone?" Jeff said angrily but it was obvious that he was crying furiously.

"Calm down and tell me what the hell happened?" Jack said gruffly out of fear.

"Jack, it's Sam. She's on her way to St. Luke's now. When I got here, I found her tied to her chair. Jack, the son of a bitch slit her wrists and strangled her. She's barely breathing but she's barely got a pulse. I sent Chuck with her so I can stay here. I'm not going to stop until that son of a bitch tells me where Ritchie is. I swear to God I'm going to kill him." Jeff said furiously as he exploded and tears of rage escaped his eyes.

"Jesus! All right, calm down. Do whatever you have to, to get the information we need, okay? He's gone after all of us and it ends now." Jack said through gritted teeth as he tightly fisted his hands.

"Jack, I know that there's going to be hell in the ER. But I told Chuck not to leave Sam's side regardless of what anyone said. And I told him not to let anyone treat Sam except for Sean and his father." Jeff said through gritted teeth and then flipped a table over. "Son of a bitch!" Jeff shrieked furiously.

"Jeff, calm your ass down right now, damn it." Jack said harshly out of concern, causing Jeff to breathe heavily and loudly.

"Damn it. Jack, you should've seen her. She was covered in blood and tied up like a damn animal." Jeff said furiously.

"I know but we'll get those sick sons of bitches soon for hurting our team and they're going to regret the day they the miserable bastards were born. Tell you what. You do what you have to without getting into trouble, to find out where Ritchie is and I'll go find Sean and Foster and tell them what's going on, so they can treat Sam. Just try not to kill the bastard." Jack said compassionately with a heavy sigh.

"Fine. But I can't promise that won't come close to killing him." Jeff cried angrily through gritted teeth as he breathed heavily and tried to control his fury.

"All right. Call me back after you break that twisted freak. Stay there and make sure that he's booked for the attempted murder, assault and battery on Danny, Viv, Sam and Kevin, the orderly at the hospital. I have to go. Be careful, Jeff." Jack said compassionately with a heavy sigh and then ended the call.

At that exact moment, Sean and Dr. Foster entered the room together.

"Sean, Foster, just the ones I wanted to see. I need you downstairs in the ER right now. That son of a bitch Ritchie got to another agent of mine, Agent Samantha Spade. And she's on her way here right now." Jack said urgently and gruffly, causing Sean to gasp.

"Oh, no. Sam? What the hell did he do to her?" Sean said horrified as he went bug-eyed.

"Someone tied her to the chair and slit her wrists and feet. She's also got ligature marks on her throat. Jeff said that she's barely breathing and has a weak pulse. Another agent is down there with her and isn't going to let anyone near her." Jack said urgently and somewhat gruffly out of fear and concern.

"In that case, Sean, let's go downstairs. We'll keep you informed, Agent Malone. And so you know, no one knows that your agents are in these two rooms except for us and Nurse Nancy. So, once we make sure that she's stable, we'll transfer Agent Spade up here. Excuse me." Dr. Foster explained seriously but compassionately and then they left the room.

When they arrived downstairs, they found Agent Chuck arguing with the nurses and doctors who were trying to treat Sam, causing Dr. Foster to intervene.

"All right, everyone calm down." Dr. Foster said sternly.

"Oh, my God, Sam." Sean said urgently and concerned as he soothed her head. "Don't worry, sweetie. We're not going to let anything happen to you. We're going to take care of you." He said with conviction as he and Dr. Foster put on gloves and began treating Sam.

"Are you guys Novak and Foster?" Agent Chuck said shaken as he refused to leave Sam's side.

"Yeah and you're Agent Chuck. Look, you can stay but don't interfere. Just step back and let us do our job." Sean said seriously and urgently but compassionately, causing Agent Chuck to nod and step back.

"She's going to need four units of O-Neg now. She's lost too much blood." Dr. Foster said seriously as he and Sean started IV's on both of Sam's arms and treated and bandaged her bloodied feet.

"Damn it. I'm concerned about nerve damage. The son of a bitch cut her deeply." Sean said concerned and angrily as they began suturing Sam's wrists.

"You're right. But we won't know for several days whether she has damage or not. Besides, the most important thing right now is that we get her through this. And right now she needs to be intubated. She's barely getting any air through her airway." Dr. Foster explained seriously concerned as he sprayed Sam's mouth and throat with a numbing spray and then as gently as possible intubated her.

"What about the strangulation? She has ligature marks on her neck." Agent Chuck said very concerned and shaken.

"She's lucky. A little more and she would've died at the office. Whoever did this almost crushed her trachea." Dr. Foster said seriously and concerned as he hooked Sam up to the first unit of O-Neg blood.

"Agent Chuck, we'll be taking her to a secure location with the others. But you can stay with her if you'd like." Sean said seriously but compassionately as they finished suturing and bandaging Sam's wrists.

"You bet your ass I'm coming. I'm not leaving her alone." Agent Chuck said as a matter of factly.

"Sean, I'm giving her Morphine and I'm going to keep her sedated over the next several days." Dr. Foster explained concerned.

"How is she?" Agent Chuck asked concerned.

"The next forty-eight hours are critical and there's a possibility that she may have nerve damage from when they slit her wrists. She's also going to be in excruciating pain, so I'm going to keep her completely sedated for several days until the danger passes. She's also lost a lot of blood which we've started giving her again already. But she's still not out of mortal danger." Dr. Foster said seriously as they began moving Sam out of the room.

All of a sudden, as they were wheeling Sam toward the elevator, the monitors began shrilling violently.

"Sam, no! Dad, we're losing her! I lost her pulse and she's not breathing! We can't lose her, damn it!" Sean said urgently as they rushed her back into the room, causing Agent Chuck to bug out horrified as he stood by the door and Sean and Dr. Foster began working frantically to try to revive Sam.

TBC?


	14. Chapter 14

Slipping Into Darkness

A/N: As always I make Danny suffer a little, but he's not the only one who gets to suffer in this chapter. So, don't get mad if it's a little darker than other chapters. I just want some justice for poor Danny who's in for a world of trouble in the next chapter. Anyway, as always, thanks for the reviews and support that I've received with this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

Chapter 14

Jeff was on his way to interrogate Ritchie's gunman in Interview Room One, when his phone rang and Jack gave him news that caused him to become violently ill with both rage and anguish.

"Hello? Hey, Jack, what's going on? How's Sam?" Jeff said urgently into the phone but what Jack told him caused his heart and lungs to constrict as his stomach began convulsing. "What? You can't be serious. I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." Jeff said furiously as he shook and held his stomach as tears stained his face.

He couldn't believe what Jack was telling him, but it was going to stop. One way, legally or otherwise, he was going to find out where Ritchie and the rest of his miserable butchers were. And he was going to kill Ritchie for hurting his family, his coworkers and for taking away the one person he truly ever loved.

"No, Jack! This stops now! Just keep an eye on Danny and the others until I find out once and for all where that son of a bitch Ritchie is." Jeff cried angrily through gritted teeth and then hung up the phone as Jack continued trying to talk to him.

As soon as he ended the call, Jeff ran to the bathroom and became violently ill four times. He fell to his knees shaking violently and held his stomach as tears stained his face. But then just as quickly, rage and anguish took over and he abruptly stopped crying. Jeff stood up from the floor and cleaned himself up.

"I swear to you that I'll make that damn animal pay for what he did to you and the others. I swear on my life." Jeff said through gritted teeth as he looked up and then he turned around and headed toward Interview Room One after he got a file from atop his desk.

_BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…_

Jack sat at Danny's bedside and took a hold of Danny's cold lifeless hand as tubes and wires filled every crevice of Danny's body. Tears escaped his eyes as he sat there holding on to Danny tightly. How could he possibly tell Danny what had happened? There's no way that Danny would ever forgive himself. But he had a right to know what had happened to Sam. He had to understand that he wasn't responsible. He wasn't responsible for anything that that animal Ritchie had done.

Jack must have nodded off because when he woke up again, he found that Danny was weakly squeezing his hand and wore a fearful look on his face.

"Danny. Hey, how are you feeling?" Jack said as he tightened his hold a little on Danny's hand but noticed how Danny looked fearfully towards Martin and Viv. "Shhh. Calm down, okay? Don't worry about anything, Danny. Remember that Sean gave Martin a sedative which is why he's still sleeping. And Dr. Foster gave Viv some drugs for her headache, okay. Just get some sleep. Everything is going to be okay. I promise." Jack said caringly as he tried to smile but he knew that Danny didn't believe him.

"Stop lying to me, Jack. What happened?" Danny said weakly from all the drugs as tears escaped his eyes and he swallowed hard.

"There's nothing going on, Danny. Just get some sleep. Everything will be okay, I promise. You're safe and no one knows that you're here, except for Sean, his father and your nurse." Jack said as he sighed heavily but he wouldn't look at Danny's face, instead, he continued to stare as he held Danny's lifeless looking hand.

"Damn it. Stop lying to me and look at me. Tell me the truth right now." Danny cried weakly but angrily out of frustration and fear.

Jack's heart sank to the floor at the fear that he would have to tell Danny the truth about Sam. But thankfully, at that exact moment, Sean showed up in the room.

"Sean." Danny cried weakly as he tried to get up from bed. "I want to know what the hell Jack's hiding from me. Tell me right now. I have a right to know." He weakly cried angrily, causing Jack to move aside as tears escaped his eyes and Sean took a hold of Danny's hand.

"Shhh. Calm down. Calm down, kiddo. There is something that's going on and I'm going to tell you, but I'm going to need you to calm down, okay? Can you do that for me?" Sean said very gently but caringly as his voice shook a little and he tightly held Danny's hand in his own.

"Tell me. I have a right to know." Danny cried weakly but upset, causing him to cry more when Sean held his hand tighter and tears escaped his eyes. "Please." He weakly pled crying.

Sean took a shaky breath. He couldn't believe the hurt that he had to cause Danny just now, but Danny had every right to know what was going on. Still, it was very difficult for him and he tried to avoid it as he squeezed Danny's hand and soothed his head like a child.

"Sean, please, just tell me." Danny pled crying emotionally but weakly as he too squeezed Sean's hand.

"Kiddo, I need you to stay calm, okay because we're going to do everything we can to make everything, okay again. I promise. But you have a right to know what's going on and what happened." Sean explained very gently as tears escaped his eyes and he continued soothing Danny's head and face like a child.

"What happened?" Danny weakly cried very emotionally but almost like a child.

"I have to be honest with you, kiddo and this isn't easy for me because I know that I what I'm going to tell you is going to hurt you. But I need you to be strong because what I have to tell you has to do with Sam." Sean explained gently, causing Danny to immediately cry weakly but fearfully.

"What happened to her?" Danny weakly cried fearfully and upset.

"Kiddo, Sam was…Sam was attacked at the office. She was brought here and me and dad are personally taking care of her. We're doing everything that we can, to make her better again." Sean explained very gently as he sniffled and gently wiped away Danny's tears like a child.

"I want to see her. Please. Sean, please, I want to see Sam." Danny weakly cried fearfully and terribly upset as he shook. "This is all my fault. This is all my fault." He weakly cried terribly upset, causing Sean to cry softly and embrace him protectively but carefully as he shook his head and repeatedly soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child.

"Shhh. No, don't say that, munchkin. None of this is your fault. The only one to blame for any of this is that son of bitch Ritchie. And we're going to find him, I promise. And when we do, I'll make him pay for everything that's he's done to you—to both of us. I'll make him pay for torturing you and your team and I'll make him suffer what he made us suffer all these years when we both thought that the other was dead. I swear. Do you understand me?" Sean cried softly but with conviction as he continued embracing Danny protectively.

"No. This is all my fault. None of this would've happened, if I hadn't opened my damn mouth. I should've just kept my mouth shut. Now, let me see her. I want to see Sam. Please." Danny weakly cried terribly upset as he shook but Sean shook his head as he soothed and kissed Danny's head again.

"No. I'm sorry, kiddo, but I can't let you see her in that condition right now. Sam's in the ICU, so she can't have any visitors except for me, dad and Nurse Vicky. But I promise you that we're doing everything to keep her safe and stable. We have her hooked up to IV's and we already started giving her blood. Now, she's going to be in the ICU for a few days, okay? And then I'm going to bring her up here with you, okay?" Sean softly cried soothingly but with conviction as he sniffled and soothed Danny's head like a child again.

"No. I want to see her, Sean. I want to see Sam. It's my fault she's hurt. It's all my fault that everybody's hurt. Damn it. I should've just let him kill me when he had the chance and none of this would've ever happened." Danny cried weakly as he shook and began weakly rocking back and forth and tried sucking his thumb, causing Danny's vitals to become unstable a bit.

"Danny? Danny, no. No. I'm not going to let you do this. I know that you're scared but I'm not going to lose you. You're not dying and I'm not letting you black out again. That's not the damn answer just because you're scared." Sean cried sternly but caringly as he filled a syringe with Ativan, a sedative.

"What the hell are you doing? What the hell is that?" Jack said gruffly out of fear as he carefully held Danny to the bed when he tried to get up.

"Let…me…go!" Danny cried weakly but he seemed lost as he continued rocking and tried to get up.

"Damn it. I'm giving him Ativan and putting him to sleep. He's starting to panic again and his heart can't take that right now. He's still too weak." Sean cried sternly out of fear as he prepared a syringe and slowly injected him with Ativan, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily and try to hit Sean but both Sean and Jack carefully grabbed his hands.

"Danny, calm down." Jack said sternly out of concern.

"Don't let him go." Sean said gruffly as he put soft restraints on Danny's wrists and ankles, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily and very emotionally as he couldn't struggle anymore to move.

"You asshole, how the hell could you do this to me? Let me go. I hate you." Danny cried angrily but weakly out of fearfully but Sean just soothed his face with a wet washcloth.

"Shhh. I know that you don't mean that, kiddo. You're just scared. But I'm going to take care of you and I'm going to make Ritchie pay even if he begs for his life. Now, stop fighting and get some rest. You're not going anywhere." Sean said sternly but caringly as he soothed Danny's head.

"No. Let me go. I want to…see…her." Danny cried weakly but angrily as he struggled to remain awake.

"I said no, Danny. Now, get some sleep." Sean said sternly but caringly, causing Danny to weakly cry angrily until complete darkness took over.

_BACK AT FBI HEADQUARTERS…_

Jeff was so distressed when Jack told him that Sam had flatlined, that he didn't allow Jack to finish telling him that Sean and Dr. Foster had been able to revive her after shocking her three times. Instead, he hung up and left Jack yelling at himself. So, now he was at the office, thinking that Sam was dead and he was going to do whatever he had to, to make sure Ritchie paid with his life for taking hers. And that was very bad news for Ritchie's gunman because Jeff was filled with rage and anguish.

Jeff entered Interview Room One at FBI Headquarters with a file on hand as he bore a cold and callous expression on his face. In the room, was an FBI agent keeping a watchful eye on Ritchie's gunman. He put the file on the desk and began whispering to the other agent, causing the other agent to glare viciously at the gunman.

"Is there anything you need me to do, Sir--Anything at all?" Agent Devon Meyers said as he glared viciously at the gunman.

"Yeah, there is. Go outside and cut the feed and sound to this room. And get the others out of here." Jeff said calmly as he gave the gunman a cold stare that sent chills down his heartless spine as Jeff read his file, causing the gunman to swallow hard and squirm.

"You're not going anywhere Nate Cavenaugh." Jeff said coldly but calmly as he read over the gunman's file. We're going to have some fun first like you did with my friend Viv and my little brother Danny, at the hospital. You remember how much fun we had, don't you? And we're also going to have an excellent time for what you and your friends did to my friend Agent Spade, the female agent that was here." Jeff said with a callous smile as he squeezed Cavenaugh's shoulder, causing him to flinch fearfully as Jeff's smile grew wider.

"Sir, I'm going to leave now. I'll be back to escort him to central booking." Agent Meyers said seriously.

"Give us thirty minutes to have some fun, Devon and then you can take him to central booking." Jeff said smiling evilly.

"Yes, Sir." Agent Meyers said seriously as he glared at Cavenaugh and then left the room.

"So…" Jeff said calmly but callously as he read through the file. "Nate Cavenaugh, arrested for aggravated assault and battery, kidnapping, grand theft and attempted murder of federal officers, the list goes on and on. And we're going to have a hell of a time tonight, Nate. Because neither of us is going to be leaving here until you tell me everything I want to know about Cesar Ricardo Escobar and the rest of his miserable gang. You're going to tell me everything about them—locations, how many there are, weapons, everything. Otherwise, you won't be leaving this room and no one anywhere will ever know or remember that Nate Cavenaugh existed in this world. And I'm a federal agent. I can make that happen very easily. Do you understand me?" Jeff sneered with an evil smile as he squeezed the Cavenaugh's shoulders.

"I don't know what you're talking about?" Cavenaugh tried to say coldly but fear was all too evident in his voice, causing him to flinch fearfully when the phone rang inside the room and Jeff answered it.

"Yeah, Devon. Okay, that's good. Great. Now, don't let anyone near this room for half an hour and call before you come in. All right." Jeff said calmly and then ended the call, causing Cavenaugh to immediately look at him fearfully.

"Now it's time for us to have some fun, Nate. Because, it's time for you to tell me everything you know about Ritchie and his scumbag accomplices. And don't tell me that you know anything because we both know that that's not true. You're going to tell me every last detail. But I can guarantee you, Nate that you, Ritchie and all your friends are going to pay hell for what you did to Danny and to the rest of my family." Jeff said through gritted teeth as he cracked his knuckles and fingers, causing him to grab Cavenaugh by the hair, like he'd done to Danny, when Cavenaugh squirmed and tried to get up from his chair.

"You're not going anywhere. Are fun is just beginning, Nate. Now, you're going to tell me what damn warehouse Ritchie's been torturing Danny at and who his accomplices are aside from your dumb ass. You're going to tell me exactly where that son of a bitch is. And you're going to tell me the locations and assignments of all his accomplices. You will not lie to me, Nate. You will tell me everything I want to know. Do you understand me? Otherwise, like I told you before, you won't be leaving this room or building again." Jeff said callously through gritted teeth as he unholstered his gun and aimed it at Cavenaugh's head as he pulled his hair tightly, causing Jeff to sneer evilly when Cavenaugh screamed pained.

"What, aren't you having fun? You were having fun at the hospital when you tried to kill Danny and pulled his and then tried to shoot him in the head. I'm just doing the same thing to you, you piece of shit. But I'm not going to let you die so easily. First, you're going to tell me what I want to know and then I'll decide whether I'm going to let you live or whether to kill you myself for hurting my family. Because death is what a miserable garbage like you deserves. Now, where the hell is the warehouse where Ritchie kept Danny? Tell me right now." Jeff seethed through gritted teeth as he cocked his gun and pulled Cavenaugh's hair tighter.

"No! You can't do this!" Cavenaugh said terrified, causing him to scream in agonizing pain and hold his injured leg when Jeff threw him on the floor and kicked him repeatedly. "Aaaaagh!" He screamed in agonizing pain. "Stop! I'll tell you!" He screamed in agony.

"Where the hell is that warehouse?" Jeff seethed as he grabbed Cavenaugh by the collar and roughly sat him up on the floor as he shook and cried like a scared animal.

"It's an abandoned fishing warehouse over at the marina in front of Dock 13." Cavenaugh cried fearfully and in agonizing pain, causing him to scream more when Jeff picked him up roughly and sat him back on the chair.

"Who the hell, besides you, is working for Ritchie, you piece of filth? I want names, assignments and locations and they better be the truth or you're not going to live to regret it. And if you think that I'm playing games with you, you son of a bitch, you better think again. You never should've come after my family. Now, you're all going to regret it the rest of your miserable lives, you bastard. So, start writing." Jeff seethed as he slammed a pen and notepad on the table as he once again held Cavenaugh's hair tightly and aimed the gun at his head.

"Start writing—names, aliases, location, assignments, numbers. Now." Jeff said viciously, causing Cavenaugh to snivel fearfully and start writing.

After ten minutes, Cavenaugh finally finished writing down phone numbers, addresses and aliases. He wrote down all of the information that the team needed to find where all of Ritchie's accomplices were and how, when and where Jack and the others were to be attacked.

"I gave you what you wanted. Now, let me go." Cavenaugh said angrily as he shook out of pain but fear was clearly evident in his voice, causing Jeff to scoff.

"Don't be stupid. Do you actually think that I'm going to let you go? Think again. You're going to spend the rest of your miserable life in prison. But first you're going to tell me where Ritchie is and you're going to tell me now." Jeff said vicariously as he grabbed Cavenaugh's jaw with one hand and dug his nails into his face.

"No, I can't do that. Ritchie's going to kill me if he finds out I talked to you." Cavenaugh said terrified as his eyes widened in terror, causing Jeff to suddenly laugh sadistically and release his face then walk away.

Jeff began laughing sadistically, which only instilled more terror into the suspect. But Cavenaugh wasn't expecting was happened next, although he should have. Jeff was laughing, but out of rage and anguish, not only because of what had been done to his friends, but also because he believed that Sam was dead. Which is why he suddenly felt infuriated by Cavenaugh's words.

When Cavenaugh wasn't expecting it, Jeff decided to strike and strike hard. Jeff punched him twice across the face with the backs of his hands. Knowing that Cavenaugh was still shocked by the assault, Jeff picked him up by the collar and slammed him hard against the wall as blood gushed from his nose and mouth.

"Ritchie's going to kill you?! You fucking asshole! You killed one of my agents, you come after my family and their families, and you torture Danny and cover for that twisted bastard! Who the hell do you think you should be more afraid of?! Tell me! Tell me right now where Ritchie is or going to put a bullet in your brain right now!" Jeff seethed as he threw Cavenaugh to the floor on his knees.

"I didn't kill anybody! What the hell are you talking about?!" Cavenaugh yelled angrily out of fear.

"You and your damn accomplices killed Agent Spade right here in this office and unless you tell me right now where the hell Ritchie is, you're going to die right here and now!" Jeff seethed viciously as he cocked the cocked the gun, aimed it at Cavenaugh and put his finger on the trigger as Cavenaugh continued kneeling on the floor.

Cavenaugh's eyes bugged out in terror as he began crying and shaking like a coward.

"No! Please, don't kill me! I'll tell you what you want to know but please don't kill me!" Cavenaugh pled like a terrified coward as he wet himself, causing Jeff to sneer evilly.

"You didn't show Danny any compassion. You tortured him and tried to kill him at the hospital until stopped you. Why the hell shouldn't I kill you? You deserve it, you filthy animal." Jeff seethed viciously as he continued

"Please don't kill me! I'll tell you where Ritchie's at right now at this moment!" Cavenaugh cried and shook like a fearful coward.

"Start talking or you're going to eat a bullet in less than thirty seconds." Jeff seethed viciously, causing Cavenaugh to wet himself again and whimper terrified when Jeff put the gun closer.

"All right, I'll tell you but please don't shoot me! Ritchie's at the hospital now. He's been there since they took Danny over there. He already got to Danny once but that stupid orderly wouldn't leave him alone with Danny. But it doesn't matter. Ritchie's not going to stop until he's dead. Ritchie's going to kill him for killing his little brother in cold blood. And just like Danny killed Sebastian, Ritchie's going to kill his partner first and make him watch." Cavenaugh shook and cried terrified, causing Jeff to lose it and shriek violently.

"Aaaaaaaagh! You, son of a bitch!" Jeff shrieked wrathfully and was about to pull the trigger when the door burst open, it was Agent Chuck and Agent Meyers.

"Jeff, no! Don't do it! He's not worth it! Look, just put the gun away and come with me to the hospital!" Agent Chuck said urgently and sternly out of fear.

"Like hell I am! Don't you get it?! He killed Sam and he tried to kill Danny and Viv!" Jeff seethed violently as he continued aiming his gun at Cavenaugh.

"Damn it, Jeff, you're wrong! Why the hell do you think you I'm here? Jack told me that you didn't let him finish talking. Sam flatlined when they were taking her up but Dr. Novak fought like hell and got her back after he shocked her a few times. So, give me the gun and let Devon take this piece of shit to central booking with another agent. Look, give it to me or I'll have to do what Jack told me and kick and drag your sorry ass down to that hospital. Now, give your gun and let's go get that son of a bitch before he hurts our boys. Let's go." Agent Chuck said sternly but caringly as he held out his hand for the gun, causing Jeff to shriek violently again but then hand over his gun.

"Get this filthy maggot out of myself before I kill him." Jeff said as he kicked Cavenaugh one last time, causing Agent Chuck to grab a hold of him and drag him of the room after he put Jeff's gun on his waist.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Chuck. Is Sam still really alive?" Jeff said through gritted teeth as his lips and jaw quivered violently, causing Chuck to sigh heavily and grab him by the arm as he led him into the elevator.

"I wouldn't lie to you about something like that, Jeff. Remember, I was there. You told me to stay with her and I did. I was there when she flatlined and when Sean fought like hell to bring her back and he did. But now, we have to go make sure we find whoever's after Danny." Agent Chuck said a bit sternly but compassionately as they made their way to the car, causing him to sigh heavily when Jeff quietly cried furiously out of fear for everything that had happened. "Does she even know, Jeff? Sam, I mean." He said softly.

"No. And I'm never going to tell her, so just forget that you know. The only thing that matters is that we get Ritchie before he can get to Danny and Martin. But I swear that if I get my hands on him I'm going to kill him myself." Jeff quietly cried angrily as he tried to calm down.

"Don't worry. We'll get him and we'll make him pay for everything." Agent Chuck said with conviction as he drove toward the hospital where a deadly game of cat and mouse was about to ensue.

TBC?


	15. Chapter 15

Slipping Into Darkness

Slipping Into Darkness

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness**_**:** "All right, I'll tell you but please don't shoot me! Ritchie's at the hospital now. He's been there since they took Danny over there. He already got to Danny once but that stupid orderly wouldn't leave him alone with Danny. But it doesn't matter. Ritchie's not going to stop until he's dead. Ritchie's going to kill him for killing his little brother in cold blood. And just like Danny killed Sebastian, Ritchie's going to kill his partner first and make him watch." Cavenaugh shook and cried terrified, causing Jeff to lose it and shriek violently.

Chapter 15

"The only thing that matters is that we get Ritchie before he can get to Danny and Martin. But I swear that if I get my hands on him I'm going to kill him myself." Jeff quietly cried angrily as he tried to calm down.

"Don't worry. We'll get him and we'll make him pay for everything." Agent Chuck said with conviction as he drove toward the hospital where a deadly game of cat and mouse was about to ensue.

_BACK AT THE HOSPITAL…_

Danny had remained sleeping thanks to the sedative that Sean had injected him with. But Jack refused to leave his side and remained by Danny's side until he too eventually gave in to some much needed sleep.

Jack had been sleeping for an hour, causing him to nearly punch someone when they grabbed his shoulder and caused him to awaken abruptly. He was about to swear angrily at said person, when he turned around and realized that he'd almost hit Martin.

Martin looked at Jack as if he were a deer caught in Jack's headlights, causing Jack to become concerned.

"Martin, what are you doing? Are you all right?" Jack said more gruffly than he meant to, causing Martin to sigh heavily.

"How is he?" Martin said with a heavy sigh as he looked toward Danny.

"Martin, what are you doing out of bed?" Sean said a bit sternly but concerned as he entered the room, causing him to take a hold of Martin and lay him back in bed.

"Forget about me, I'm fine. How's Danny? And why the hell does he have those restraints on him?" Martin asked somewhat angrily, causing Sean to gently push him back down when he tried to get up from the bed again.

"Don't worry. He's going to be fine. It's just that he became restless and tried getting out of bed, which he's not allowed to do. So, I put the restraints and injected some sedative into his IV." Sean said kindly as he checked Martin's vitals, causing Martin to suddenly look toward Danny's direction.

"Danny?" Martin said confused but concerned, causing Sean and Jack to worry when they saw Danny thrashing weakly and struggling to get out of bed-but he could barely open his eyes and he remained restrained.

"Shhh. Just get some sleep, kiddo. You're not going anywhere." Sean said caringly as he soothed Danny's head like a child.

"I'm…going…see…her." Danny cried very weakly but with conviction as he struggled in vain to get up, causing Sean to gently soothe his face with a wet washcloth and raise the oxygen when Danny began struggling a little, to breathe. "Let me go. I hate you." He weakly cried angrily like a child because Sean wouldn't let him see Sam.

"What's the matter with him? Who's he talking about?" Martin asked somewhat angrily.

There was suddenly a knock at the door and Nurse Vicky entered the room.

"Dr. Novak, I need to speak with you, please." Nurse Vicky said calmly but clearly concerned.

"I'll be right back, kiddo." Sean said caringly as he soothed Danny's head and put the washcloth on his forehead and then turned to Jack. "He's just upset about the sedative and the other stuff. I'll be right back, but keep an eye on Danny and don't let Martin get out of bed. I'll be right back." He said kindly and then exited the room with Nurse Vicky.

"What's going on, Vicky?" Sean asked as he saw the fearful look on her face.

"The Agent that was here earlier, Agent Carmichael, he called your father." Nurse Vicky said somewhat shaken.

"What's going on? What did he say?" Sean suddenly asked very concerned as he got a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Apparently, Agent Carmichael interviewed the man that was here at the hospital and tried to kill Agent Taylor. He admitted to Agent Carmichael that…that the terrible man who's trying to kill your brother and the other agents, is here in this hospital. Agent Carmichael says that he's been here the entire time - waiting." Nurse Vicky said shaken as she shook a bit. "I don't know what to do, Dr. Novak. Your father just asked me to inform you about what's going on." She said calmly but shaken and somewhat fearfully.

Sean couldn't believe what he was hearing. Ritchie had been right under his nose the entire time and he'd allowed it by not taking more precautions to ensure Danny's safety and that of his teammates. Now, more than ever, he wanted to kill Ritchie for everything that he'd done to him, Danny and Danny's teammates.

"Where the hell is Agent Carmichael now?" Sean said harshly, causing him to sigh heavily but out frustration when he realized that he'd frightened Nurse Vicky. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm just…I won't let that bastard hurt my brother or his teammates again." He said with a heavy sigh. "Now, where's Agent Carmichael?" He said with a frustrated sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He's downstairs with another agent and Dr. Foster. Agent Carmichael let your father know what was happening and he's very concerned about the young lady in the ICU." Nurse Vicky said still a bit shakened.

"All right. I want armed security in Sam's room in the ICU right now. No one is allowed in that room except for Dr. Foster and myself. Is that understood? Afterwards, I want you to go tell Dr. Foster that I'll be down as soon as I can. But right now, I'm going to talk to Jack. So, go on. Get out of here." Sean said frustrated, causing Nurse Vicky to nod – still shaken, and then leave.

Sean took several breaths and tried to calm down because he didn't want Danny knowing what was going on. Once more calm, he went back into the room and took a hold of Danny's hand.

"Hey, kiddo, how are you feeling?" Sean said caringly as he swallowed hard, causing Danny to weakly squeeze his hand as more tears escaped his eyes.

"Let me see her. Please, I won't take long. I just want to see her." Danny cried weakly but emotionally like a child.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me what happened to Sam? How the hell is she?" Martin said calmly but angrily as he tried to stay calm in front of Danny.

"How…" Sean said with a heavy sigh but Jack quickly cut him off.

"I told him. He had a right to know. Now, answer the question. How is she?" Jack said somewhat gruffly out of concern.

Sean sighed heavily as he continued holding Danny's hand tightly in his own.

"Sam's still in the ICU and she's going to remain there for several days." Sean explained as gently as possible but he didn't know how to continue.

"Why aren't you answering the question? That's not what we asked." Martin said calmly but angrily, causing him to sigh heavily when Danny looked at him pleadingly and reached out a hand as if to get him to stop being angry at Sean. "I'm sorry, brother. I'll keep calm if you stop losing control and trying to get out of bed. Deal?" Martin said with a sad smile as he got out of bed and took a hold of Danny's free hand.

"Traitor." Danny weakly cried crossly, causing Martin, Sean and Jack to suddenly chuckle amused. "Fine, you jackass." He cried crossly and then turned to Sean. "Are you happy now, you jerk? Now, tell me how Sam is. I want the truth." Danny cried weakly but crossly out of fear and concern, causing Sean to soothe his head like a child and nod.

"Okay, kiddo, I'll tell you the truth. But I need you three to stay calm because we're doing everything to make Sam better. Sam's in the ICU. But because of the injuries she sustained, she had to be intubated and given four units of O-Negative blood. And I need you to stay calm, but because of the injuries and because she's going to be in too much pain, we have to keep her unconscious and sedated for the next several days." Sean explained very gently as he held Danny's hand tightly but carefully, causing Sean to embrace Danny protectively when Danny weakly cried distraught and Jack and Martin gasped horrified.

"You keep saying injuries. What the hell did that sick, son of a bitch do to her?" Martin said angrily through gritted teeth as tears of rage escaped his eyes.

"Someone tied her to the chair at the office and slit her wrists and her throat. But Jeff and Chuck found her in time and rushed her over here. That's when Sean and his father went downstairs and started treating her." Jack said with a heavy sigh as tears stained his face.

"Shhh. Shhh. Calm down, kiddo, you promised. I know hard this is, but you need to stay calm because we're going to do everything to we have to make Sam well again. I promise. We're not going to let anything happen to her." Sean softly cried soothingly as he held Danny a little tighter as he continued weakly crying distraught and shaking.

"What about her injuries? How serious were they?" Martin said through gritted teeth as more tears escaped his eyes and he held Danny's badly shaking hand tighter.

"I'm sorry but we won't know for several days, the extent of her injuries. The cuts to her wrists were deep and at this time, it's impossible to determine whether or not she suffered extensive nerve damage." Sean said softly as he sniffled.

"Son of a bitch! This is all my fault! Why the hell didn't he just kill _**me**_ and left everyone the hell alone?! I'm the one who killed 'bastian! They didn't do a goddamn thing to him!" Danny weakly cried furiously and completely distraught as he tried weakly kicking his feet.

"Don't you dare ever say that again. Do you understand me? None of you deserved what that son of a bitch Ritchie's done to you. And we sure as hell didn't deserve what he put us through. Look, Sebastian's death was justified and you know it. He was trying to kill your dad and you. You warned him to drop the gun but he didn't. So, you didn't have a choice, Danny. Sebastian caused his own death, not you. So, calm down and don't you dare give up. Damn it, I already lost you once, Hermanito _little brother_ and I'm not going to let it happen again. So, get that garbage out of your head once and for all. None of this is your fault." Sean said harshly but caringly as more tears escaped his eyes and he continued holding Danny protectively tight.

Sean continued to hold Danny as he sat there crying furiously out of fear and anger at everything that had happened. Danny's vitals were a bit unstable and Sean wanted him to calm down, but given the situation at hand and knowing full well that Ritchie was hidden in the hospital, there was no way in hell that he was giving Danny anymore sedative.

"Shhh. I need you to calm down, munchkin. Come on. I want you to breathe nice and slow and drink this water for me." Sean said soothingly as he gently wiped away Danny's tears and then tried to feed him some ice water, causing Danny to growl furiously and move his face away.

"Leave me alone. I don't need or want any damn water. Now, let me go and take this shit off of me." Danny cried angrily as he weakly struggled to get free of the restraints, causing Sean to sigh heavily and soothe his head like a child.

"Shhh. Calm down and listen to me, kiddo. Okay? If you drink the water and calm down and if you promise not to try to get out of bed again without permission, I'll take off the restraints. Deal? Because, I don't want to see you in those any more than you want be in them. So, what do you say, munchkin? Do we have a deal? Hmm?" Sean said caringly, as if talking to a child, causing Danny to look at him untrustingly.

"You're a liar. You're just trying to give me more sedative." Danny weakly cried angrily but somewhat like a child, causing Sean to swallow hard and shake his head.

"I promise you that I'm not going to give you anymore sedative, munchkin. Now, please drink this water, Danny. Please." Sean said a bit sadly as he soothed Danny's head and face again with one hand and held the cup of water with his other hand.

Danny wasn't sure what to believe, so he looked directly at Sean's eyes. When he looked in Sean's eyes, all Danny felt guilty because all he saw sincerity in Sean's eyes – but also a hint of pain, causing Danny to stop struggling and let his body sag in defeat as he cried.

"Shhh. It's okay, kiddo. Please, just drink the water." Sean pled softly as he gently fed Danny the ice cold water and tears escaped his eyes. "Shhh. That's it. That's it, it's over. Just breathe and calm down so I can take off the restraints." He softly cried soothingly, causing him to carefully embrace Danny protectively tight after he removed the restraints and Danny shook violently out of anger and exhaustion.

"He's not going to stop until he kills them all and them me. He said so. Ritchie said that even if he killed me, he wasn't going to stop until he killed them all. He said that he was going to make them pay for having a murderer as a friend." Danny weakly cried distraught as his teeth chattered.

"Kiddo, how the hell did that animal find you?" Sean softly cried soothingly as he continued holding Danny protectively tight but carefully.

"He said he hired a private eye but I don't believe him. But it doesn't matter anymore because he's not going to stop until the rest of us are dead. At least… you're safe and…he can't you again." Danny cried weakly but distraught as he struggled to breathe and remain awake, causing Sean to put an oxygen mask on Danny's face and raise it to the highest pressure.

"What do you mean by that, Danny? Why did you say that?" Sean softly cried soothingly as he checked Danny's vitals.

"Ritchie…Ritchie told me…that he was going to kill me…just like…he…killed you." Danny cried very weakly until complete darkness took over and his head lolled to the side, causing Sean to shake his head when Martin gasped horrified and went bug-eyed.

"Don't get scared, Martin. He's just completely exhausted from all the drugs, so he's going to be in and out of it for a while. But right now, I need to have a serious talk with both of you because you have a right to know what's going on." Sean said sniffling as he kissed Danny's head like a child and then brought the blanket up to his chest.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack said gruffly but Sean shook his head.

"No. Not here, out there. I don't want Danny to hear. Come with me." Sean said as he sniffled again, causing Martin and Jack to follow Sean outside.

"What's with all the secrecy, Sean? What don't you want Danny to know?" Martin said somewhat angrily, causing tears to escape Sean's eyes. "What is it?" He said somewhat fearfully as he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Nurse Vicky…the reason she came to see me a few minutes ago is because Agent Carmichael and Agent Chuck are downstairs talking to my dad." Sean said a bit shaken as more tears escaped his eyes and he breathed angrily.

"Why would they be talking to Dr. Foster instead of updating me?" Jack said gruffly.

"The suspect Agent Carmichael was interrogating in FBI Headquarters, the one who tried to kill Danny here, well he confessed to your agent that…that Ritchie's here at the hospital right now. He said that Ritchie's been here the entire time, waiting." Sean said through gritted teeth as tears ran freely down his face, causing Martin and Jack to gasp horrified and growl quietly but wrathfully.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jack said quietly but wrathfully so that Danny wouldn't hear him.

"That's all I know, I swear. I already have armed guards inside and outside of Sam's ICU room and no one is allowed in there except for me and my dad. But I need you to stay here with Danny while I head downstairs and meet with your agents." Sean said he sniffled.

"Who said you're going downstairs? That's not your job." Jack said gruffly out of concern.

"You don't have a choice, Jack. If Ritchie's really here, then he's looking for you too. All he'll have to do is follow you and know that you'll lead him to my little brother. Are you willing to willing to risk Danny, because I'm not?" Sean cried sternly out of fear, causing him to take a deep breath to try to calm down his fear and anger.

"Look, Jack, I know that you care about Danny—maybe even like a son. I understand that. I really do. And we both also know that Ritchie's not going to stop until he kills Danny. But I swear on my life that I'll kill him first before I let him hurt Danny again. I'm not going to lose my baby brother to that worthless son of a bitch." Sean said through gritted teeth as tears stained every crevice of his face and he shook out of fury as he fisted his hands forcefully, causing Jack to suddenly hold the back of Sean's head as Sean continued shaking out of fury.

Jack suddenly held the back of Sean's head and stared intently to his eyes to see if he could find any trace of deceit. But at that moment, Jack realized how horribly wrong he'd judged and treated Sean. When Jack studied Sean's eyes, he didn't find treachery. No. Instead, all he saw was someone filled with anger, loss and despair—causing Jack to sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry. I was wrong about you. I thought that you were only trying to hurt Danny. But you aren't. At least, that's not what your eyes are saying." Jack said a bit gruffly as he gently tugged Sean's head, causing Sean to hold his head in his badly shaking hands and quietly cry furiously.

"Damn it. I already told you…" Sean quietly cried angrily but Jack cut him off.

"Shut up, all right? You're worse than Danny." Jack said a bit gruffly but kindly. "Go. Get the hell out of here." He said kindly but with a heavy sigh as he released Sean.

"What?" Sean cried confused.

"He said get the hell out of here and go downstairs with Jeff and Chuck. And tell us what the hell is going on with that sick son of a bitch." Martin said a bit gruffly but then gave him a small smile for good measure, causing Sean to suddenly look uncertain and toward Danny.

"I don't…" Sean suddenly cried uncertain as he looked toward Danny, causing Martin to suddenly squeeze his shoulder and gesture for the elevator.

"Go downstairs and we'll take care of Danny. He's my best friend and partner and I'm not going to leave him alone now. So, go on. Get the hell out of here and watch your back." Martin said kindly but with conviction as he squeezed Sean's shoulder again, causing Sean to nod and although he was still uncertain, he left in the elevator downstairs to meet Jeff and the others on the third floor.

Sean exited the elevator on the third floor, but he had no idea that he was being admired by the stranger who had remained hidden in the shadows unnoticed.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Sean. I should've made sure back then that I'd killed you. But that's all right. Where there was one, there was always the other. Enjoy, while you can, little piggy because you're going to lead me to Danny and then I'll kill you both like the murderous, filthy pigs that you are." Ritchie thought to himself silently as he laid in wait until the moment came where he could carry out his final revenge.

TBC…


	16. Chapter 16

Slipping Into Darkness

Slipping Into Darkness

Author's Note: A special thanks to Ukeleleboy for her help in getting the plot bunnies working again. By the way, I have no medical knowledge whatsoever. So, please don't hold it against me if I made any mistakes.

Disclaimer: I do not own Without A Trace or any of its character. They belong to Jerry Bruckheimer and company, so please don't sue.

_Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: Sean exited the elevator on the third floor, but he had no idea that he was being admired by the stranger who had remained hidden in the shadows unnoticed._

"_Well, well, if it isn't little Sean. I should've made sure back then that I'd killed you. But that's all right. Where there was one, there was always the other. Enjoy, while you can, little piggy because you're going to lead me to Danny and then I'll kill you both like the murderous, filthy pigs that you are." Ritchie thought to himself silently as he laid in wait until the moment came where he could carry out his final revenge._

Chapter 16

Ritchie, hiding in the stairwell, immediately recognized Sean. So, he called the hospital and had Sean paged. Unknowingly, Sean answered the page. But when he called the number that paged him, Ritchie answered.

"Yes, I'm returning a page." Sean said kindly but then heard someone chuckling softly but evilly on the other end, causing him to get a very sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Who is this and what do you want?" Sean said seriously.

"Well, well, if it isn't Little Sean." Ritchie sneered evilly as he watched Sean grow paler as he stood, still hidden, in the stairwell.

"Who the hell are you?" Sean said angrily through gritted teeth but deep inside, his heart cringed in sheer terror.

"Aw. You disappoint me, Sean. How could you forget me so soon? We had so much fun the last time we saw each other. You wouldn't tell me where Little Danny was, so I beat you to death, or so I thought." Ritchie sneered and then chuckled softly when he saw the look of shock and fury that Sean's face now bore.

"Ritchie. You, son of a bitch. I'm going to kill you." Sean said furiously through gritted teeth, causing Ritchie to softly chuckle more evilly.

"You're not going to do anything, unless, of course, you want Little Danny to die. You're going to do what I tell you, Sean. I'm in charge of this little game, not you. It's simple. Unless you do what I tell you, your little brother is going to pay the consequences. Now, are you going to take me to him or aren't you?" Ritchie quietly sneered evilly.

"Go to hell, you sick, son of a bitch!" Sean said through gritted teeth.

"That's enough, Sean. You're wearing my patience thin. But I'm going to tell you what you're going to do to redeem yourself. You're going to lead me to Danny or innocent people are going to die—starting with that hot, little number that's been following you around." Ritchie said calmly but angrily as he looked at Sean, causing him to sneer evilly when he saw Sean looking around. "Don't waste your time, Sean. You'll come to me when I call you. Don't do anything stupid or that hot nurse of yours is the first one that I'm going to kill." He said calmly but evilly.

"What the hell do you want?" Sean said angrily but defeated through gritted teeth.

"Good boy, Little Sean. Now, we're talking. You're going to that stairwell that's to your right. In there, there's an envelope with instructions. A word to anyone about what's going on and a lot of people are going to die. And you better be convincing because, remember, I can hear and see everything you do. Now, you've got thirty minutes. The clock is ticking." Ritchie said calmly but evilly as he ended the call, causing him to smile evilly with content when he saw the tears that Sean was now angrily wiping at.

Sean angrily wiped at the tears that fell from his ears. What was he going to do? He didn't want to lead that cold-blooded killer Ritchie, to Danny. But he didn't want anyone else to die either. He fisted his hands and headed to the stairwell.

Ritchie closed the door and lay in wait as he pulled out a fifteen-inch hunting knife, causing him to tightly grab Sean from behind in a chokehold and hold the knife to his throat, when Sean entered the stairwell.

"Hello, Sean. Are you ready to start playing 'Where's Little Danny' now? I sure as hell am. I've been waiting fifteen years to revenge Sebastian's death and you're not going to get in the way now." Ritchie said angrily but calmly through gritted teeth as he held the knife a bit tighter to Sean's throat, causing Sean to gasp and shake.

"Ritchie." Sean said furiously through gritted teeth. "Let me go, you sick bastard." He said furiously as he shook and swallowed hard.

"Like hell I'm letting you go. Just shut up and listen. I don't know where the hell you hid Danny, but you're going to take me to him right now or your precious Vicky is going to die first." Ritchie said viciously as he pulled Sean's hair, causing Sean to groan and hiss pained.

"All right. I'll tell you but you have to do something for me first. I hid Danny in a room with an elderly woman that I'm treating. Please, I'll do whatever you want but let me get her and her husband out of there." Sean said as he shook and sweat stained his face.

"Forget it. They're staying right there. The more, the merrier." Ritchie said coldly as he pulled Sean's hair tighter, causing tears to escape Sean's eyes.

"Ritchie, please. She doesn't have anything to do with this. She hasn't done anything to you. Please, Ritchie. For Christ's sake, she's ninety-one. Please, just let me call over there and have her moved to a different room—her and her husband." Sean pled somewhat desperately as he swallowed hard and sweat and tears stained every crevice of his face.

"Shut up!" Ritchie said viciously as he pulled Sean's hair again and continued to hold the knife to his throat. "Fine. Get the stupid old bags out of Danny's room. And once they're cleared, we're going to take the stairs and you're going to take me to Danny. Now, hurry up and make the call before I change my mind." Ritchie said callously, causing Sean to grab his phone with shaking hands and call the nurse's station on the third floor as Ritchie forced him to put the phone on speaker.

"Nurse's station, third floor. How may I direct your call?" A nurse said kindly.

"Yeah. This is Dr. Novak. I want Nurse Vicky on the phone this instant." Sean said gruffly.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Novak. One moment please." The nurse said kindly but nervously, causing Nurse Vicky to answer the phone a minute later.

"This is Nurse Vicky." She said kindly.

"Vicky, I want you to head up to Danny's room with an orderly and escort the elderly couple that's with Danny, downstairs to the 4th floor. It's ninety-one year old Mrs. Gonzalez. I want her and her husband downstairs right now. Is that understood?" Sean said sternly.

"But, Dr. Novak…" Vicky said concerned but Sean quickly cut her off.

"But nothing, Nurse. When I give you an order, you follow it. Don't you dare question me again. Now, have Mrs. Gonzalez and her husband downstairs on 4th, within five minutes or it's your job. Do I make myself clear? I can't hear you." Sean said harshly but silently he prayed that Vicky would know that something was wrong.

"Yes, Sir. I understand, doctor." Nurse Vicky said a bit shakened.

"You better. Now, call me back as soon as they're on the 4th floor. Go." Sean said harshly as he ended the call, causing Ritchie to softly chuckle evilly and hold the knife tighter to Sean's throat but then he loosened it a bit momentarily.

_Upstairs in Danny's Room…_

Nurse Vicky called for an orderly and they headed upstairs to Danny's room, causing Jack to look at her questioningly.

"What's going on?" Jack said gruffly.

"Mrs. Johnson's being transferred to the 4th floor and you have to come with me also." Nurse Vicky said kindly.

"I'm not leaving them here alone." Jack said gruffly as he pointed to Danny and Martin as they lay in their beds sleeping.

"Please calm down, Agent Malone. Danny and Martin are safe here. No one knows of this location except for you, Dr. Novak, Dr. Foster and myself. Now, please come with me." Nurse Vicky said kindly as they escorted Vivian out of the room and into the elevator when it opened.

Vivian and Jack were escorted to the 4th floor, causing Nurse Vicky to immediately dial Sean's number from the 4th floor nurses' station.

"Dr. Novak? Sir, I followed your orders. Your elderly patient, Mrs. Gonzalez and her husband were escorted to the 4th floor." Nurse Vicky said kindly.

"Fine. I'm taking the rest of the day off, so don't call me again. Do I make myself clear?" Sean said harshly, causing Nurse Vicky to swallow hard as his harshness caused tears to escape her eyes.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Novak." Nurse Vicky said as her voice broke a bit.

"Fine. Get back to work." Sean said harshly and then ended the call.

"Let's go, Sean. It's time to end this game. Take me to Danny now." Ritchie said calmly but viciously as he held the knife to Sean's throat and held his hair tighter, causing tears to fall freely down Sean's face as they began walking up the stairs.

_Back in the 4__th__ Floor…_

Jack was angry that he'd been sent to a different floor from the boys and went to confront Vicky about it. But when he stepped up to the nurses' station, he found her crying as she filled some paperwork.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked a bit gruffly but he felt that something wasn't right.

"I'm sorry, Agent Malone. There's nothing wrong." Nurse Vicky said kindly as she sniffled and pretended that she was okay, causing her to flinch a bit when Jack looked at her sternly. "I'm sorry. I'm just upset because of Dr. Novak." She softly cried sniffling.

"What about Sean? What's going on with him?" Jack said gruffly but Vicky shrugged.

"I don't know. He just called me five minutes ago, almost yelling at me. He said that he wanted you and Mrs. Johnson transferred out of there within five minutes or he was going to fire me. But the strange thing is that he kept saying that she's a ninety-one year old woman and that you're her elderly husband. I was confused and tried to ask him what he was talking about but he yelled at me and told me not to dare question him again. Then, he said not to call him again because he was taking off the rest of the day and he hung up. I don't understand what's going on. In the years that I've worked with him, he's never once been so cruel to me." Nurse Vicky quietly cried upset, causing Jack to immediately know that something was horribly wrong.

"Wait a minute. Something's not right. He told you that we were an old couple?" Jack said concerned as he got a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach when Nurse Vicky nodded crying, causing Jack to pick up his phone and immediately dial Jeff's number.

"Jack, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you. Ritchie's somewhere in this hospital, Jack." Jeff said urgently.

"Jeff, I'm on the 4th floor. You need to get up here now. Sean had me and Viv transferred down here but he told Vicky that Viv was a ninety-one year old woman and that I was her husband. Then he told her that he was taking off for the rest of the day and not to call him. But, Jeff, I'm almost positive that he's with Ritchie." Jack said as he unholstered and cocked his gun, causing Jeff to suddenly come out of the stairwell with Agent Chuck.

"Jack, are you sure about that?" Jeff said urgently as he and Agent Chuck also unholstered and cocked their guns.

"I'm almost positive. Why else would Sean say that we were an old couple and have us moved down here?" Jack said with conviction.

"Then we have to get up there. We can't let that son of a bitch kill Danny, Jack." Jeff said urgently.

"We're not going to let that happen. Nobody else is getting hurt because of that twisted freak—not Danny, Martin, Sean, no one." Jack said with conviction and then turned to a crying Vicky. "Look, I know that you're scared but I need you to calm down right now. I won't let anything happen to Sean. But right now, you need to stay down here with Viv and have armed security, guard her room. Is that understood?" Jack said a bit sternly but compassionately, causing Nurse Vicky to nod crying.

"I understand." Nurse Vicky cried shaken as she tried to regain her composure. "I'll call security right away. But please, please don't let anything happen to Dr. Novak." She cried shaken and then turned away from Jack and began speaking into the phone.

"Jack, we need to go now." Agent Chuck said somewhat urgently and concerned, causing them to immediately head into the stairwell carefully.

They were cautiously heading up the stairs when, Jack, Jeff and Chuck, stopped dead in their tracks. As they headed up the stairs, they saw a fresh bloodied handprint on the wall and fresh blood drops on the steps heading upwards to the floors above them.

"Jack, that blood's fresh. What if we're too late?" Jeff said as his heart clenched in his throat.

"Shut up." Jack growled angrily out of concern. "We're not too late, all right? We're going get that animal once and for all. Let's go." Jack said sternly out of concern as they held their cocked guns and continued walking up the flight of stairs cautiously.

_Upstairs in Danny's Room…_

By the time they made it to the outside of Danny and Martin's room, Sean had torn a piece of his shirt to apply pressure to the knife wound that Ritchie had caused when he hit Ritchie and tried to run away.

"Try anything stupid like that again, you piece of shit, and I'll gut you like a fish where you stand whether Danny sees it first or not. Do you understand me?" Ritchie said viciously as he held the 15-inch hunting knife to Sean's throat as Sean shook and sweat and tears stained his face—but he shook and cried out of fear for Martin and Danny's safety and not his own, causing Sean to nod crying.

"I swear. I won't try anything again." Sean cried shaking.

Martin and Danny were in the room talking about Sean, when the door suddenly opened, causing the heart monitors to beep violently and Danny and Martin to gasp violently at the horror before them when they saw someone holding a large hunting knife to Sean's already bloody throat.

"Sean!" Danny and Martin both yelled out but then Danny then bugged out horribly when Ritchie finally revealed his face.

"Ritchie!" Danny gasped horrified and bugged out horribly as he struggled to breathe. "Sean!" He gasped, struggling to breathe as he saw the blood on Sean's throat.

"Shhh. Just breathe! I'm okay, kiddo! Breathe for me, come on! Please! Just listen to me!" Sean cried shaking, causing Danny to breathe as tears escaped his eyes.

"Let him go, you fucking animal! It's me you want, not him! You only wanted me!" Danny suddenly cried furiously as he shook, causing him to stop and growl furiously when Ritchie tightened the knife on Sean's throat.

"Shut your mouth right now or he's going to die right now before he even hits the floor, you murderer. I've waited fifteen years to get my revenge and today's the day. You never should've run away that day when I was going to kill you. If you hadn't, none of your friends would've been hurt or possibly dying, you miserable coward. It's all your fault and you're a filthy disgrace. A murderer like you never should've been given a badge after killing Sebastian." Ritchie said sadistically and enjoyed as his words caused Danny to grab his head in anguish, causing Martin to growl wrathfully at Ritchie's words and Danny's reactions.

"You shut the fuck up! You're the only one to blame for all of this, you sick son of bitch! Danny didn't kill Sebastian! He told Sebastian to put the damn gun down but Sebastian wouldn't listen and Danny did what he had to, to save his father! If anyone's to blame here, it's your fucking twisted family!" Martin said wrathfully as tears of fury stained his face, causing Martin to bleed profusely when Ritchie sent a wrathful fist across his face and mouth.

"You don't know a damn thing about my family, **Martin**! That's right! I know who you are you piece of shit! And you've been able to get away from me, but I'm going to enjoy gutting you like a fish right now!" Ritchie said viciously and then turned to Sean. "Tie him with the restraints. Now!" He said ferociously as he tightened the knife on Sean's throat.

"Let them go, you son of a bitch! Kill me!" Danny cried furiously and fearfully as he tried to sit up in bed but couldn't.

"Forget it, you sick freak! I didn't do back then what you asked and I'm not going to do it now!" Sean cried furiously as he shook, causing Ritchie to suddenly pull a cocked gun from behind his back and aim it at Danny's head as he simultaneously attempted to cut Sean's throat with the knife.

"This is for Sebastian, you murderer!" Ritchie roared wrathfully as he put his finger on the trigger.

"Noooooo!" Martin and Sean both screamed out in horror as they both jumped on Ritchie and Danny cried terrified but he could barely manage to move from his injuries and all the drugs Sean had given him, causing gunfire to erupt in the room.

All of a sudden, Danny's eyes and mouth widened in agony and horror and then closed before his lifeless body fell to the bed, his arms fell to his side and then the monitors began beeping a deafening shrill as he flatlined.

But that wasn't the only surprise as Jack, Jeff and Chuck burst through the door with their guns drawn and Ritchie fell to the floor covered in blood.

"Daneeee! Noooooo!" Sean and Martin screamed and cried in horror as they checked on him.

"He killed him!" Martin cried furiously as he angrily pulled at Danny, causing Jeff to grab a hold of him.

"Shut up! I'm not going let him die! I didn't let that son of a bitch kill him when we were kids and I'm not going to lose him now!" Sean yelled crying angrily as he cut away Danny's hospital gown with shears, gave him drugs through the IV and shocked him twice but Danny remained lifeless, causing everyone to gasp horrified when Sean filled a very large syringe with medication and stabbed Danny's chest with it, then he shocked Danny twice more.

"Damn it, Danny, come on! I'm not going lose you! You're not dead! You're not shot, so wake the hell up! Please, wake up!" Sean pled desperately as he cried and shocked Danny once more, causing the monitor to beep once. "Come on. Come on, Danny, please." He cried as he rubbed a very hard fist on Danny's chest, causing the monitor to beep more. "Wake up, Danny. Please. Come on, munchkin. Let me see those puppy dog eyes of yours, little brother. I know you can do it. I know you can." Sean said crying as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child, causing him to cry more and embrace Danny tightly but carefully, as he shook, when Danny took a breath and opened his eyes to a crack.

Meanwhile, Jeff checked on Ritchie's injuries as he placed two fingers on his neck.

"You don't have to worry about him ever again. He's dead." Jeff said, slightly pleased.

As soon as he heard those words, Danny began shaking and crying weakly but emotionally, causing Sean to hold him tighter as he continued crying.

"Sean, calm down. Danny's okay, but you're hurt. We've got to get you downstairs now. Come on." Jack said compassionately as he and Jeff tried to gently stand him up, causing Sean to push away from them and hold Danny tighter until Danny cried pained.

"Like hell I'm leaving him. I'm not going anywhere. I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me." Sean cried angrily and emotionally out of fear as the events of the past and present collided like runaway freight trains and he shook violently.

All of a sudden, Dr. Foster showed up in the room with several FBI agents in tow.

"Sean!" Dr. Foster gasped fearfully when he saw Sean's throat, chest and hands covered in blood. Apparently, in the scuffle with Ritchie over the gun, Ritchie had managed to stab him several times.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I tried to stop him but he came anyway." An FBI said somewhat nervously of Jack's reaction.

"It's fine. Start processing the scene and hurry up and get this piece of shit out of here. He's already caused enough trouble." Jack said gruffly out of concern and then rushed to Martin's side when he noticed the blood.

"Martin, you're bleeding." Jack said as he grabbed Martin's arm.

"Forget about me, Jack. Danny and Sean need the help now. What's the matter with him?" Martin said sniffling, still shaken as he gestured toward Sean and tried to regain his composure, causing Dr. Foster to grab a hold of Sean and force him to let go of Danny.

"Let me go." Sean cried fearfully and terribly upset as he tried to grab a hold of a Danny.

"Calm down right now and look at me, Sean. It's me, your father. Daniel is fine and Richard can't hurt either of you anymore. You're safe. Now, leave Daniel alone and sit still so that I can take care of your injuries." Dr. Foster said sternly as he held Sean's face in his hands, causing him to shake Sean's face roughly when Sean growled and cried furiously. "Sean Novak, you stop that right now." He said very harshly, causing Sean to suddenly blink rapidly and cry confused but somewhat fearfully as he looked around the around the room.

"Dad? What happened?" Sean cried fearfully and then tried to take a hold of Danny when he saw him. "Danny!" He cried fearfully but Dr. Foster wouldn't let him hold Danny.

"Calm down, son. Everything is going to be. But right now, I have to take care of yours and Agent Fitzgerald's injuries." Dr. Foster said with a heavy sigh of relief as he sat Sean down on a chair and began treating his injuries.

"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked somewhat gruffly.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that. But ever since Ritchie attacked him and left him for dead, Sean has suffered from panic attacks. He hasn't had one in a very long time, but with everything that's been going on and that animal hurting them again, it was bound to happen again. But he'll be okay soon." Dr. Foster said kindly as he finished bandaging Sean's wounds and injected a medication into Sean's arm, causing Dr. Foster to softly chuckle amused when Sean growled angrily at him like a petulant child.

"It's your turn, Agent Fitzgerald. How are you feeling? Besides your arm and emotionally, did that animal hurt you anywhere else?" Dr. Foster said kindly but concerned as he put on new gloves and began cleaning and stitching the knife wound on Martin's arm.

"No, I'm fine. Now, forget about me. How's Danny? He was just dead a minute ago, damn it." Martin said angrily as more tears escaped his eyes but then he sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Dr. Foster. I know that you're just trying to help." Martin said regretfully as he sniffled but Dr. Foster smiled softly and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Agent Fitzgerald. I understand." Dr. Foster said kindly as he smiled softly. "That's a pretty good cut. You're lucky. Another inch and he would've severed an artery. Okay, so, it took fourteen stitches to close up your wound. Now, I'm going to need you to keep it dry and change the dressings twice a day. And I'm also going to need you to return in two weeks to remove the stitches, okay? And before I forget…don't tell me that you don't need it either, because you were cut with a hunting knife and we have no idea if it's clean or not. So, you're getting the Tetanus Booster as well." Dr. Foster said a bit sternly but kindly as he prepared a syringe.

"But…Ow!" Martin yelped in pain, causing everyone, including Danny, to suddenly laugh, when Dr. Foster injected him without telling him.

"That's it. I'm all finished." Dr. Foster chuckled amused.

"You're such a wuss, Fitzy." Danny chuckled weakly but then began coughing violently.

"Danny!" Martin said fearfully as he tried getting out of bed, causing Jack and Jeff to sit him back down.

"Calm down. He'll be all right in a moment. But he's not supposed to be laughing." Dr. Foster said caringly as he raised Danny's oxygen level to the highest pressure, causing Danny to stop coughing a minute later as he shook. "Now, Daniel, I know that it hurts but you must calm down and take slow breaths." He said caringly, causing Danny to nod and breathe slowly.

Danny was going to say something, when Chuck suddenly called out to Jack.

"Jack." Agent Chuck said with a serious look on his face after he read and now held an envelope that he found in Ritchie's pocket, causing Jack to read it and look at him furiously.

"Burn this piece of shit as soon as you get outside of this hospital and don't ever let Danny know that it ever existed. Do you understand me?" Jack whispered sternly but barely audible, causing Agent Chuck to clench his teeth.

"I understand, Jack. I'll make sure he never reads this sick son of a bitch's letter to him." Agent Chuck whispered irately as he shook a bit out of anger and made a tight fist, causing Jack to gently squeeze and tug his shoulder.

"Calm down, Chuck. Ritchie's dead and he'll never hurt anyone again. We've already got men on the rest of his accomplices and Danny and the others are going to be okay, all right? Just get rid of the letter and this garbage cleared away from here. I don't want Danny to keep seeing it." Jack whispered compassionately.

"You're right, Jack. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose it like that." Agent Chuck whispered with a heavy sigh as he put the letter in his pocket without the others noticing.

"No worries, Chuck. Just get that garbage out of here and this mess cleaned up and processed. Then afterwards, you can take off for the weekend but I do expect your reports in by Monday morning when you come into work, got it?" Jack said in a mock gruff tone to Chuck and the other agents who were in the room, causing them to nod smiling.

"Yes, Sir." The agents said respectfully as they gathered Ritchie's body into a body bag. "We'll send some of our own to clean the rest of this off now, sir. Excuse us." One agent said respectfully and then they all left as they carried out Ritchie's covered body on a gurney.

"Are you getting soft on me, Jack? Oh, man. You're getting old." Danny quipped with a weak smile as he chuckled weakly, causing him to stop laughing when Dr. Foster smiled but gave him a serious look.

"Not too old that I can't still kick your ass. Now, quit scaring the hell out of me, will you? You see that?" Jack said in a mock stern tone as he pointed to the top of his head. "That's a bald spot with your name on it, so cut it out. I want your lazy butt out of bed already; all of you. Do you understand me?" Jack said caringly as he took a tight but careful hold of Danny's hand in a brotherhood grip, causing Danny to grip his hand weakly as tears escaped his eyes and he shook a bit.

"Thank you." Danny cried softly but weakly until his entire body went limp and his lolled to the side as his eyes closed, causing Jack and Martin to gasp horrified.

"Danny? Danny!" Jack and Martin said fearfully but Sean and Dr. Foster shook their heads.

"Calm down, you guys. My little brother's going to be okay now. But he's going to be sleeping a lot during the next few days. He's going to be in a lot of pain but I'm going to keep him comfortable. Nobody else is going to hurt him again." Sean said softly as he carefully embraced Danny and soothed and kissed his head like a child as tears escaped his eyes.

"And you guys and the rest of your team are going to be okay too. You'll see." Sean said kindly as he sniffled and tried to shake their hands but Jack and Martin embraced him tightly, causing Sean to laugh crying.

"First you guys were trying to kick my ass and now you hug me? I hate to see what you do to my little brother's enemies." Sean laughed crying, causing everyone to laugh amused. "Anyway, about your other friends, Vivian's going to be okay. The one we're a little concerned about is Sam's injuries. So, the best orthopedic surgeons we have, great friends of ours, are going to do her surgery in three days and they're going to do everything they can to make everything okay again." Sean said kindly as he sniffled, causing Jack and Martin to nod and sigh heavily.

"I guess all we can really do now is wait and hope for the best." Martin said softly but with conviction, causing everyone to nod.

_3 Days Later…_

"Sean? How is she? How's Sam?" Danny said softly as he swallowed hard when Sean entered his hospital room, causing Sean to embrace him protectively tight and soothe his head like a child.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. Sam's still not awake but I do have _**some**_ good news." Sean said caringly as he sat next to Danny and took a hold of his hand in a brotherhood grip.

"What good news are you talking about?" Danny said softly as his voice shook and he sniffled, causing Sean to smile softly and hold his hand a little tighter.

"Well, we were very concerned about Sam having extensive nerve and other damage. But thankfully, the surgery this morning went well. The surgeon was able to repair the damage that her assailant caused when he slashed her wrists. Now, she will need to wear special splints for a couple of months that go from her fingers to her forearms. And she's also going to need extensive rehabilitative therapy but we feel that she's going to make a complete recovery and she'll be able to return to work eventually. But more importantly, she's going to need to need the love and support of her family and friends, including you, Danny. You all need to get through all of this together." Sean said caringly as he smiled softly but Danny shook his head and began crying softly as he covered his face.

"I already told you that I can't go back. I already told Jack that I'm quitting the FBI and told him to expect my letter of resignation as soon as you let me out of here. I'm not going back after almost getting everyone killed Sean, so you can forget it." Danny cried somewhat angrily, but at himself, as he angrily wiped away his tears.

"Danny, you can't quit. You love being an FBI agent more than anything. And if you think that Jack is going to let you quit, you're sadly mistaken, little brother. Jack's not taking your stupid resignation. Like he told me, if you so much as try to quit on him, he'll drag your ass back to headquarters in handcuffs. But you know what--I'm not going to let you quit either, Danny." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly, causing Danny to look at him angrily as he cried.

"Well, that's not up to any of you, is it? That's my choice and whether anyone likes it or not, I'm quitting, damn it. I don't deserve to wear the badge after almost getting everyone killed. And like Ritchie said, a murderer like me never should've been given a badge after I killed Sebastian." Danny cried angrily through gritted teeth as his mouth quivered violently and tears stained every crevice of his face, causing tears to escape Sean's eyes as he held Danny's hand tightly with one hand and Danny's face and head with the other as he forced Danny to look at him.

"That garbage you just said never better leave your mouth again. Do you understand me? Or I swear that I'll kick your sorry ass for letting Ritchie get in your head like that. You are _**not**_ a murderer. The only murderer here was Ritchie and now he's dead. He can't ever hurt anyone again. And how dare you sit there and tell me that you don't deserve that badge, Danny? Why don't we ask all those victims you've helped, since becoming an agent and even before that, if you don't deserve to wear the badge? Look, you're just saying all this because you're hurting and afraid, Danny. But don't let Ritchie torture you anymore from beyond the grave because that's what he wants and you're not going to give it to him. You know why? Because it'll be a cold day in hell before me or anyone else lets you quit what you live for. So, get that shit out of your head once and for all." Sean cried sternly but caringly and with conviction through gritted teeth.

"Just leave me alone, Sean. My mind's made up and nothing's going to change it." Danny cried through gritted teeth as he sniffled and tried to look away, causing Sean to force Danny to look at him.

"You're not quitting and _**that's**_ final." Sean cried sternly but caringly through gritted teeth as he forced Danny to look at him.

Danny was going to argue with Sean again, when there was a knock on Danny's hospital room door. It was Nurse Vicky with a wheelchair. "What's going on?" He cried softly but angrily through gritted as he looked at Sean harshly but Sean just sniffled and smiled softly.

"Come on. Help me get him into the chair. Be careful." Sean said kindly as he smiled softly and they carefully sat Danny on the wheelchair.

"What are you doing? I thought you said that I didn't need anymore tests for now." Danny quietly cried angrily but almost like a child, causing Sean to smile softly and soothe and kiss his head.

"No. No more tests for now, munchkin. I'm taking you to visit Sam downstairs." Sean said caringly as they wheeled Danny into the elevator, causing Danny to immediately cry and shake his head as he tried to get up but Sean and Nurse Vicky carefully sat him down. "No, Danny. You have to see her." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he held on to Danny, causing Danny to quietly cry furiously but like a child.

"I almost killed her, you asshole! She almost died because of me! I'm not going to see her! So, just stay out of my life!" Danny quietly cried furiously but like a child as he held his head, causing Sean to embrace him protectively tight as tears escaped his eyes.

"Shut up! Just shut up, Danny! You didn't almost kill her, all right! Now, you're going to go in to see Sam and that's final. Otherwise, this is all going to eat away at you and I'm not going to lose you now after everything that we've been through. I'm never going to lose you. So, calm down and breathe because you're going in to see her and you're going now. So, let's go." Sean cried sternly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head repeatedly and then released him.

"Vicky, take him inside to see Sam and I'll be right there." Sean said when they arrived at the ICU. "Oh, and if he tries to run, restrain him to the damn chair." Sean said gruffly but caringly as he ruffled Danny's head once more, causing Danny to move away angrily as he quietly cried like an angry child.

Nurse Vicky smiled sympathetically and led Danny to Sam's ICU room, causing him to cover his face and quietly cry more when he saw Sam covered in bandages up to her elbow, tubes and wires connected to every crevice in her body and a ghastly black and blue bruising revealing where here her assailant had nearly succeeded in squeezing the life out of her.

"Shhh. I know she looks terrible, but she's actually doing better, honey. Her vitals are more stable, there's no sign of infection…" Nurse Vicky said caringly but couldn't continue when Danny cut in.

"That doesn't matter. She hasn't woken up and it's all my fault. I caused this." Danny quietly cried upset, causing Nurse Vicky to suddenly embrace him from behind.

"You're wrong, sweetie. You didn't cause this; that Ritchie person did. And I know it's hard, but you have to learn to accept that you haven't done anything wrong. And you may tell me to shut up and mind my business or that I don't know you. But caring for you these last several days, I've learned all I need to know about you. You're a good person with a wonderful heart. In all this time, with that madman on the loose here, you've never once cared about yourself. Instead, you've spent your time worrying only for your brother, your friends and their families. So, for your sake and for everyone you love, do not let that madman Ritchie ruin your life anymore. Move on with your life, all of you, together." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she soothed Danny's head softly and then released him.

Danny sat there shaking and quietly crying emotionally as Nurse Vicky's words hit him hard like a ton of bricks, causing her to softly smile sympathetically and gently squeeze his shoulder.

"You take all the time you need, sweetie. And when you're ready, you just call me and I'll come back to take you upstairs." Nurse Vicky whispered caringly and then left the room.

As soon as Nurse Vicky left the room, Danny laid his forehead carefully on Sam's shoulder and quietly cried very emotionally as he held his head. He continued crying for five minutes until he calmed down enough to talk five minutes later as he soothed Sam's head.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. None of this would've happened if I would've just let Ritchie kill me that morning. You got hurt because of me. Because I ran away like a miserable coward, Ritchie went after all of you to get revenge. I did this to you, to all of you. That's why I'm turning in my badge to Jack as soon as Sean gives me the okay to get out of here. And after that, none of you'll have to see me ever again. You won't ever get hurt again because of me--none of you." Danny quietly cried hurt but couldn't continue any longer, causing him to lay his head next to Sam and hold it as he quietly cried extremely emotionally and shook.

Danny hadn't realized it, but Sam had been awake before he entered the room and she'd also heard what he'd just said. So, tears escaped her closed eyes, causing her to open her eyes slowly and weakly soothe Danny's head with her own as her heart ached. But Danny wouldn't look up though, causing Sam to weakly soothe his head again with her own head as more tears escaped her eyes.

"If you quit, I quit, Danny." Sam cried weakly as tears continued streaming down her face and she weakly soothed Danny's face again with her own, causing Danny to quietly cry more emotionally and shake his head.

"Sam, please, just shut up. Please. You don't know what you're talking about." Danny quietly cried emotionally as he held his head.

"I know perfectly well I'm talking about. So, if you think you're going to quit the team alone, think again. If you quit, then I'm leaving with you. We're a family, Danny and what one does, the others do too. But either way…you're…not…a…damn…quitter. So, put…that…resig…nation…where…the sun…doesn't…shine…Danny. you're…stuck…with us…forever." Sam cried weakly until complete darkness took over, causing Danny to lay his head next to Sam and quietly cry distraught as he held his head.

Several minutes passed and Danny managed to calm down. Sean went in to check on Sam and found her deeply asleep and began to lead Danny outside of the room, in the wheelchair, when tears escaped his eyes and he looked back at Sam.

_"No one will ever hurt you again because of me, baby. I'll always love you like a kid sister. Goodbye, Sam. Forever."_ Danny silently cried heartbroken and then Sean led him out of the room and led him away.


	17. Chapter 17

Slipping Into Darkness

Disclaimer: As much as I love the show and it's characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness:**_Several minutes passed and Danny managed to calm down. Sean went in to check on Sam and found her deeply asleep and began to lead Danny outside of the room, in the wheelchair, when tears escaped his eyes and he looked back at Sam.

"_No one will ever hurt you again because of me, baby. I'll always love you like a kid sister. Goodbye, Sam. Forever."_ Danny silently cried heartbroken and then Sean led him out of the room and led him away.

Chapter 17

After his visit with Sam, Danny had expected to be taken back to his room upstairs, but instead, Sean wheeled him to the 4th floor to see Viv, who was also being visited by Martin and Jack.

"Sean, why the hell did you bring me here? I told you that I didn't want to be here." Danny said angrily through gritted teeth as he tried getting up from his wheelchair, causing Sean to sit him back down and give him a stern look.

"Try that again and I'll restrain you to that chair. Do you understand me? Now, I brought you here because Viv's been worried about you and she wanted to see you." Sean said sternly but caringly, causing Danny to huff angrily and cross his arms like a petulant child.

"I don't give a damn if she wants to see me or not. I'm not going in there and you can't make me. So, piss off and let me go. I'm going back to my room." Danny said quietly but angrily as his eyes and nose reddened and his voice broke.

"You're not going anywhere, except to Viv's room to see her, Danny." Jack said a bit sternly but caringly as he appeared behind Danny and gently squeezed his shoulders, causing the tears to fall from Danny's eyes although he'd tried very hard to keep them from falling.

"Go to hell, Jack, and stay the hell out of this. I'm not going anywhere except home. I'm getting the hell out of here now. So, get your fucking hands of me." Danny quietly said viciously as tears stained his face.

"You can get pissed off all you want, Danny, but you're not going to push us away. We're not going anywhere. And Sean already told me that you're quitting the FBI. But you've got another thing coming, because you're not going to quit. So, take that damn resignation and shove it where the sun don't shine because I'm not going to accept it. And I know that you're still thinking that you almost killed us and that you're also thinking of that sick son of a bitch Ritchie's last words to you and that stops now. Get that shit out of your head once and for all. You're not responsible for what happened. Ritchie's the one who went after all of us, not you. So stop letting that animal take over your life like that. You're not responsible, Danny. Its not your fault." Jack said a bit sternly but with conviction, causing Danny to quietly shriek furiously and make two weak fists.

"Go to hell, you asshole! Ritchie never would have come after any of you, if I had just let him kill me! But like the fucking coward and murderer that I am, I ran away and he came after all of you! I'm quitting and there's not a damn thing you or anyone else is going to do! So, all of you go to hell and stay the hell out of my life! I hate you! I…hate…you!" Danny quietly cried furiously as he got up from the chair too fast, causing Sean and Jack to grab him just in time when he lost consciousness and began falling to the floor.

"Danny!" Jack yelled horrified.

"Calm down. He's going to be alright. Danny's just completely exhausted from all the medication and everything that's happened. He knows that he's supposed to stay calm but he can't because he keeps hearing Ritchie's damn voice in his head over and over again." Sean said with a frustrated sigh as they put Danny on a gurney.

"Are you taking him back upstairs?" Jack said concerned.

"No. I'm going to transfer Danny to Viv's room. And I know that that's going to piss him off but I don't care. He's got to see Viv anyway whether he likes it or not. It's time he understood that he is not responsible for that sick son of a bitch's attack on you guys. But you heard what Danny believes. He's letting that bastard screw with his mind from beyond the grave and I'm not going to let it happen." Sean said with conviction as they wheeled Danny into Viv's room, causing Martin to gasp horrified when he saw Danny on the gurney.

"Danny!" Martin gasp horrified.

"Calm down, Martin. Danny got mad that I brought him here to see Viv. He feels guilty because of what Ritchie did to everyone. That's why he wants quit the FBI and why he's pushing everyone away." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he hooked Danny up to several monitors.

"Like hell I'm going to let him quit. I'll kick his ass before he tries to quit the FBI and our team. When the hell is going to understand that he's not responsible for what that sick son of a bitch Ritchie did?!" Martin said angrily but with conviction as tears escaped his eyes and ran freely down his face.

"Martin, what are you yapping at?" Viv suddenly said crossly but caringly as she groaned and awaken, causing her to gasp shocked when she saw Danny next to her connected to several monitors. "Danny?" She questioned a bit fearfully as she tried to sit up but held her head in pain, causing Sean to gently lay her back down in bed.

"Shhh. Calm down, Viv. Danny's going to be okay. I just brought him down here to be with you. With Ritchie gone now, my little brother isn't in danger anymore. But he got upset when I brought him here. You didn't do anything wrong, Viv. It's just that Danny feels guilty about what Ritchie did to all of you and doesn't want to continue being an agent." Sean said very gently but caringly as he gently wiped away Viv's tears with a Kleenex, causing Viv to shake he head.

"We've all gone through the same thing one time or another, in this job, where we feel guilty about a case. But we've always been there to help each other through it and we're not gong to leave Danny. He's always been there for all of us but now that sick bastard got in his head. What the hell did he say to Danny?" Viv said angrily but Martin and Sean suddenly looked away, causing Jack and Viv to suddenly look at them harshly.

"Answer the question now. We were up there but we couldn't hear a damn thing. We could only see you guys. That's why we fired the shots at Ritchie when he pulled out the gun. But before that, Ritchie said something to Danny that was bad enough to make Danny scream like a lunatic and cover his ears. Now, I want to know what that asshole said to him and I want to know now. And neither of you are going to leave this room until you tell me." Jack said gruffly out of concern but they just continued looking away.

"He didn't do a damn thing except tell me the fucking truth and whether you like it or not, I'm not setting foot in that damn building again. Like I told you before, all of you stay the hell out of my life. I hate you." Danny cried angrily and breathless.

"Danny, calm down. Calm down and breathe, kiddo or I'm going to have to give you a sedative and I don't want to do that." Sean said concerned as he checked Danny's vitals, causing Danny to quietly growl furiously.

"Go to hell! And let me go already or I'll leave myself, you asshole! I don't need a damn thing from you either, I never have. I hate you, I always have. That's why I left you when we were kids. I couldn't stand looking at you then and I despise you now." Danny cried angrily as he struggled to get up, causing Sean to hold Danny protectively and repeatedly soothe and kiss his head as he sniffled emotionally and tears escaped his eyes. "Get your filthy hands off of me! I hate you!" Danny cried viciously but it only caused Sean to hold him carefully but tighter.

"Shhh. I know that you don't mean any of that. You're just scared and you're thinking that by saying cruel things to hurt me, that I'm going to leave but you're wrong. I lost you when we were kids, because of Ritchie but I'm not going to lose you again. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get you back to your old self." Sean cried caringly as he continued holding Danny protectively like a child and repeatedly soothed and kissed Danny's head although it only made Danny angrier.

"And the same goes for all of us, Danny. We're not going to let you go that easily. I know that we hated each other in the beginning, but we're best friends now. So, you can get mad at me all you want and tell me that you hate me, until you turn blue in the face. But the fact's still the same. I'm not going anywhere, partner, and neither are you." Martin said caringly as he took a tight hold of Danny's hand and tightened his hold tighter when Danny tried to take his hands away.

"You can also forget about quitting the team and the job. And I want to know what Ritchie told you before he died." Jack said a bit sternly but compassionately.

"Go to hell, Jack. That's none of your damn business. All Ritchie did was tell me the truth." Danny cried viciously but inside he hated himself so much for everything that he was saying to them.

"What, are you going to tell me that you hate me too, Danny?" Viv suddenly said caringly as she gently sat up in bed and tears stained her face, causing Danny to quietly shriek furiously and struggle to hit Sean but Martin grabbed both of his hands.

"Maldito estupido! Te odio! Porque carajo me traiste aqui?! Me sacas de aqui ahora mismo, maldito desgraciado!" Danny quietly cried furiously, causing Sean and Martin to carefully hold him tighter. _"You goddamn asshole! I hate you! Why the hell did you bring me here?! Get me the hell out of here right now, you goddamn, son of a bitch!"_

"Shhh. Calmate, Chiquito. No llores asi. Te traje aqui por tu propio bien. Tu no puedes seguir culpandote por lo que hizo eso maldito animal. Y tampoco puedes dejar que te suiga destruyendo la vida asi, Chiquito. Tu vaz a salir de esto y por mas que quieras alejarnos, no nos vamos a ninguna parte. Te queremos y nunca te vamos a dejar solo." Sean cried soothingly as he repeatedly soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child and continued holding him protectively as Danny continued quietly crying angrily. _Shhh. Calm down, kiddo. don't cry like that. I brought you here for your own good. You can't keep blaming yourself for what that damn animal did, little brother. And you can't let him keep destroying your life like this, kiddo. You're going get through this. And as much as you want to push us away, we're not going anywhere. We love you and we're never going to leave you alone._

"Your brother's right, partner. You can push us away all you want buy we love you too much and we're not going anywhere." Martin said caringly as tears stained his weary face and he carefully tightened his hold on Danny's hands.

"Go to hell and all of you leave me alone." Danny quietly cried angrily and terribly upset but he wouldn't look at anyone.

"Sean, Jack, Martin, I need you guys to leave. I want to talk to Danny alone." Viv said seriously but kindly as tears stained her face, causing Danny to shake his head and fist his hands but he couldn't say anything cruel to hurt Viv, although he wanted to.

"Sure, Viv. We'll be back in an hour. But if you need anything, let Vicky know and she'll call me." Sean said caringly as he smiled sympathetically at Danny and released him, causing him, Jack and Martin to leave the room and close the door behind them.

As soon as they left, Danny tried to turn away from Viv. But Viv wouldn't allow it as she sat on a chair next to Danny's bed and took a strong hold of his hand with one hand and with the other hand, gently forced Danny to look at her as he cried.

"Let me go, Viv." Danny cried quietly but seeing the tears that stained her face, he couldn't hurt Viv further by being cruel to her.

"Tell me that you hate me and that you never want to see me again. And maybe then I'll let you go." Viv said caringly with a small, sad smile.

"Viv, please, let me go." Danny quietly pled crying, causing Danny to quietly cry more when she slowly shook her head and waited for the words that she knew Danny would never say. "Damn it. Let me go." Danny quietly cried terribly upset because he knew that he couldn't say those cruel words to Viv.

"Just tell me those words and maybe then I'll let you go." Viv said with that same sad smile again, causing her to carefully embrace Danny when he took his hand away from her and covered his face as he quietly cried terribly upset and very emotionally but like a child as he shook violently. "Shhh. You can't say it to me, can you—even though you say it to the others? You know why? Because you don't want to hurt me. And I know that you didn't mean what you said to the others. You're just scared and angry about what happened with Ritchie and you feel guilty. But you're not responsible, Danny. None of this is your fault, sweetie." Viv said lovingly as tears fell freely down her face and she continued embracing Danny protectively.

"Damn it. Stop saying that because everything is my own damn fault. Ritchie went after all of you because I killed Sebastian and because I ran away when he tried to kill me. And for running away like a fucking coward, he came after all of you and your families. Ritchie was right. A fucking coward and murderer like me never should've been given a badge." Danny quietly cried angrily and extremely emotionally as he shook violently, causing Viv to hold him tighter as she sniffled crying.

"So, that's what that sick bastard told you before he died. Oh, sweetie. That's all bullshit and you know it. Ritchie was responsible for his own action, not you. You didn't kill anyone. Sebastian made his own choices also and you did what you had to, to save your father's life that night. If you hadn't of shot him, he would've died that day. And if that had happened, you never would've become a wonderful FBI agent, I never would've met you and neither would the others. But most important, you wouldn't have touched the lives of the many people that you've saved and helped during your career as an FBI agent. Danny, you're a wonderful, sweet, caring human being who's always putting everyone else's needs ahead of your own. You always have. So, don't let Ritchie hurt you anymore with what he said. You're not a murderer and you damn well deserve to wear that badge. If you don't think so, let's ask Clare and all the other countless lives you've saved during the years. Ask them if you deserve to wear the badge or if you're a coward and a killer like Ritchie said you were." Viv cried a bit sternly but caringly, causing Danny to quietly cry more.

"I don't care, Viv. You and the others almost died because of me. How the hell am I supposed to live with that? How, damn it?" Danny quietly cried terribly upset but like a child as Viv continued holding him.

"Shhh. It wasn't your fault, sweetheart. And I know that you blame yourself but none of blame you, Danny. We would've done whatever we had to, to keep you safe from Ritchie and anyone else he sent to hurt you. We love you, sweetie and we're going to help you through this. We're a family and nothing is ever going to change that, Danny. Nothing. We're also going to keep working together because you're not quitting the job—not unless you want me to quit too and let Marcus do all the work. Sorry, sweetie, but you're not walking out of our lives just like that." Viv cried caringly but with conviction as she held him tighter and gently laid his head on her shoulder, causing Danny to quietly cry and shake violently as but like a child as he covered his face.

"That's it, sweetie. Let all that poison out of you and cry until you can't cry anymore. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." Viv cried soothingly but with conviction, causing Danny to finally embrace her and hold on to her for dear life as he quietly cried terribly shaken but like a child.

Danny continued crying and holding Viv for dear life, until he was completely exhausted and yawning, an hour later, as Viv continued holding him in her protective embrace. But what neither of them knew, was that Jack, Sean and Martin had been watching them from the nurses' station just out outside of the room.

Danny continued sobbing and yawning weakly but like a child as sleep threatened to take over, causing her to gently lay him on the bed and wipe his face gently with a cold, wet washcloth that Nurse Vicky had given to her moments earlier, without Danny ever seeing her as she exited the room.

"Shhh. Don't fight it anymore and get some sleep, Danny. I'm going to be right here and so are the others. I promise. We love you and nothing's ever going to change that." Viv said in a soothing tone as she soothed Danny's head and face, causing Danny to cry weakly until he gave in to some much needed sleep.

As soon as Danny gave in to sleep, Sean, Jack and Martin once again entered the room.

"He couldn't yell at you, could he?" Sean said smiling softly and Viv smiled sadly as she shook her head.

"Did he tell you what Ritchie told him?" Jack said concerned but then looked at Sean and Martin harshly when they looked away, causing Viv to nod.

"Yeah. Ritchie told him that a coward and murderer like him never deserved to have been given a badge." Viv said bitterly but that bitterness was directed towards Ritchie, causing the guys to sigh heavily and run their hands through their weary faces.

"We're going to have to keep a close eye on Danny now. He's in a very dangerous emotional state right now and he can't be left alone. In his state, there's no telling what he could do to himself." Sean said concerned as he checked Danny's vitals and put an oxygen mask on his face at the highest pressure, causing Danny to suddenly begin crying weakly but fearfully and pained like a child.

"Shhh. You're okay, munchkin. You're safe. No one is ever going to hurt you again. I promise." Sean said soothingly but Danny weakly cried more and held his head. "Shhh. I know, munchkin. I know. But I'm going to give you something for the pain right now, I promise." Sean said soothingly as he prepared a syringe and gave Danny Vicodin, causing Danny to slowly stop crying and give in to sleep again.

"What happened to him?" Viv said concerned.

"I don't know if you know or not, but Danny has two skull fractures in his head and a severe concussion. Thankfully, the fractures aren't causing any bleeding. But I can't release him yet. Instead, I'm going to leave him under observation for the next week. If everything goes well, I'll release him and give him medication for the pain. But even then, I'm not leaving him alone." Sean explained gently but concern was clearly evident in his voice.

"What about Samantha? How is she doing? Jack told me that she had surgery." Viv said concerned.

"Thankfully, the surgery went well. But we do have her sedated because she's in too much pain. And she will need to wear a special brace and need a lot of physical therapy. But we're confident that she'll make a full recovery." Sean said caringly when his pager suddenly began beeping loudly, causing him to answer it. "I'm sorry but I have an emergency. I'll be back later to check on you guys. If you need anything at all, let Vicky know. Excuse me." He said urgently but kindly and then left.

"What are we going to do about Danny?" Martin said concerned.

"We're going to take care of him and nothing is ever going to change that. He didn't do a damn thing wrong." Viv said with conviction as she took a hold of Danny's hand again.

Over the next week, Viv was released, causing her, Sean, Jack, Jeff and Martin to take care of both Danny and Sam. They were both recovering well, physically, but it was obvious to everyone that Danny wasn't well mentally or emotionally although he was being released.

"How are you feeling, munchkin? You're going home today." Sean said caringly as he sat next to him, causing him to gently wipe the tears that fell from Danny's eyes.

"I can't do this, Sean. I can't go back to that office and face anyone after everything that happened. Ritchie…" Danny said softly as he sniffled and more tears escaped his eyes but couldn't continue when Sean shook his head.

"Shhh. Remember what we've been talking about, munchkin. You have to start believing that you're not responsible for anything that happened. It's the truth and until you start believing it yourself, you're not going to get better." Sean said caringly as he gently wiped the tears that continued falling from Danny's eyes.

"I can't do this." Danny softly cried sniffling.

"Wrong. You can't do this alone and you won't have to because we're not going to leave you, munchkin. But you do need some help. That's why I set up an appointment for you with a good friend of mine, a psychologist. She's the one who saved my life after your dad moved us to New York. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't be sitting here talking right now. Her name is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez. Today's Monday and she was completely booked, but I was able to talk to her about you and she agreed to come talk to you at the apartment on Friday afternoon at six. Don't worry. You're going to like her and she's going to help you through all of this, I promise. Now, is there anything you want to tell me before I discharge you?" Sean said caringly but Danny sniffled and shook his head as Sean continued gently wiping away his still falling tears—but little did Sean know that that Friday might never come at all.

"Shhh. Everything's going to be okay, little brother. I promise." Sean soothingly and embraced Danny carefully but protectively, causing Sean to smile when there was a knock at the door—it was Jeff with a smile on his face.

"Hey, buddy, how's our favorite patient feeling? So, tell me, heartbreaker, are you going to share those hot nurses' numbers with me? Hmm? Come on. Don't keep them all for yourself. Share the love, kiddo—especially that hot little number, Nurse Vicky." Jeff teased amused as he smiled and wiggled his eyebrows, causing him to laugh amused when Sean and Danny began laughing very amused.

"What about me? Can I help you with something?" Nurse Vicky said chuckling amused as she appeared in the doorway, causing Sean and Danny to laugh hysterically when Jeff reddened furiously and he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "Danny, I'm here to remove your IV's and monitors because you're being released this morning." She softly chuckled amused as Jeff chuckled embarrassed and reddened.

Nurse Vicky removed Danny's IV's and monitors and then bandaged his arms as they continued teasing Jeff. She finished and had Danny sign his release papers. Once signed out, Sean and Jeff packed his things and Danny was let out of the hospital in a wheelchair as he muttered like a petulant child and insisted that he could walk on his own. Sean and Jeff led them to Jeff's car which was parked in front of the entrance and Sean left Danny with the promise that he'd be by Danny's apartment later that day during his lunch, causing Jeff to drive away.

Jeff continued driving as he talked to Danny, until they arrived at Danny's apartment building thirty minutes later.

"Well, here we are. Watch your step." Jeff said caringly as he carefully helped Danny out of the car and slowly led Danny upstairs to his apartment on the 4th floor. "Here we go, buddy. Have a seat." He said caringly as he carefully sat Danny on the couch.

"Jeff, I can walk and I can take care of myself. I don't need a baby sitter." Danny said a bit more gruffly than he meant it, causing him to sigh heavily and look at Jeff contrite. "I'm sorry, Jeff. I didn't mean that. I'm just…I'm just tired, I guess." He said regretfully as he held his pained head.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo. It's understandable. But you're in pain again. So, I'll tell you what. Since you don't have any decent food here and it's almost time for your meds, I'm going to go grab some Chinese food and bring it back here, okay? I'll be right back. But in the meantime, just stay out here and don't get in the shower. I'll be right back, kiddo." Jeff said caringly and then left.

Just as Danny was getting settled to watch some television, there was a loud knock on his door. But because he was still shaken by what Ritchie had done to him, he grabbed his gun, causing him to hold it by his side.

"Who is it?" Danny said seriously and loudly.

"Sir, I'm from a courier service. I have a delivery for Taylor. Danny Taylor." The courier said kindly, causing Danny to open the door after he holstered his gun once again. "Can you sign here, please? Thank you and have a great day." The courier said kindly and then left after Danny signed for the package, causing Danny to close the door behind him and open the box.

He opened the box and inside there was a videotape. Danny shrugged as he put the video in the VCR and then pressed Play. But that was a horrible decision that could possibly cost Danny his life. When he pressed play, Ritchie came onto the screen.

"_Hello, Danny. If you're watching this, then I must've made a mistake and now I'm dead. But before I died, there was a secret that I'd been holding onto until now. You see, I lied about only finding you recently, Danny. The truth is that I found you years ago and you never even knew it. I told you that I've been watching you and your friends for only a few months, but that wasn't the truth. The truth is that I've been watching all of you for years, studying your movements, every single day. I was even in your apartment whenever you'd leave to work or on a date with countless women. You had to pay for what you did to Sebastian but I couldn't kill you—that would've been too easy and not as fun. So, I did the next best thing and went after your friends, your family. And I'm not talking about now, murderer. Do you remember your dad, the great Special Agent Andrew Taylor? Remember how he was killed in the line of duty one night when he was partnered with you, but his killer was never found. Well, that was me, Danny. I killed your father and then I hid in the crowd as you, your family and all of the countless others, grieved for him." _Ritchie sneered evilly, causing Danny to shake violently and gasp horrified as he shook his head.

"_What are you so surprised about, Danny? I told you that you were going to pay for killing Sebastian. So, don't blame me for Agent Taylor's death. His death was your fault, Danny. It's that simple. You killed Sebastian and to teach you a lesson, I killed your father and got away with murder, just like you did. There's only one thing left to do, Danny. You have to pay for your sins now—for killing Sebastian and your father. Your life as you know it, is over, Danny. You're a coward, a murderer and you don't deserve to wear the badge that you carry with your blood-stained hands. You'll never find peace again until you pay for your crimes. And we both know that there's only one thing you can do now. So, go do it, you cowering murderer." Ritchie sneered and laughed evilly until the tape ended. _

After watching that tape, something in Danny died as he began screaming, crying and shaking violently like a madman as he held his head. Danny began destroying everything in his apartment—he flipped the couches, tables and chairs, broke the dishes and glasses. He was so completely gone that he punched the mirror with his bare hands, causing them to become very bloodied as the blood dripped profusely all over the floor. Danny grabbed his loaded gun from the gun lock box and ran of his apartment and covered in blood as he screamed, cried and held his gun in hand, causing the neighbors to become fearful and call 911.

Danny got in his car and dove away like a madman, causing Jeff to immediately return to Danny's apartment, five minutes later, after jack informed him what happened. He unholstered his gun and went inside Danny's apartment where NYPD officers were already working the scene, causing him to show his badge and they let him into Danny's apartment.

"Special Agent Carmichael, FBI. What the hell happened here? Where's the victim who lives here, Agent Danny Taylor?" Jeff said gruffly.

"According to the neighbors, they heard glass shattering and they saw Agent Taylor run of here bloodied, screaming and crying like a madman. He also had his gun with him." Officer Walsh explained seriously when another officer interrupted.

"Excuse me, sir. But there's a video in the VCR that may explain what happened in here. It's a murder confession." Officer Wilkinson advised seriously.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jeff said angrily and hit PLAY on Danny's VCR, causing him to gasp horrified as tears escaped his eyes, when he saw the video Ritchie sent Danny. "Fuck! All right, I want an APB on Agent Taylor right now! He's driving a black subcompact with the government issued plates number G1103357! Go!" Jeff said harshly out of fear, causing the officers to move aside and issue an APD out to other officers, for Danny.

"Jack, where the hell are you, damn it?!" Jeff said angrily as more tears escaped his eyes.

"I'm a block away. I'm with Viv and Martin. What the hell happened?" Jack said gruffly out of fear.

"Danny's apartment is completely destroyed. He ran out of here bloodied and with a gun in hand after he saw a fucking tape that was delivered to him. Ritchie had a tape delivered and in it, he confessed that he'd killed Danny's father when Danny was partnered with his dad and that he got away with murder. Jack, you have to get here now, damn it." Jeff said angrily as tears stained his face.

"Shut up and calm down. I'm already downstairs." Jack said harshly and then ended the call, causing him, Viv and Martin to gasp horrified when they saw Danny's apartment and the trail of blood that led away from it. "What the hell happened? Where the hell is Danny? Where is he?" Jack said angrily out fear as he grabbed Jeff's arms and shook him roughly.

"Just look at the damn tape for yourselves, Jack. I don't know where the hell he is." Jeff cried furiously, causing tears to escaped Jack, Martin and Viv's eyes when they too saw the tape. "I already put out an APB on him but there's still no word yet." Jeff said angrily.

Meanwhile, Sean had arrived downstairs to see Danny but they wouldn't let him through, causing him to cause a commotion that caused Jack and Jeff to intervene.

"Back the hell off and leave him alone! Let him through right now! He's with us!" Jack said viciously to the cops who were trying to cuff Sean.

"Now!" Jeff roared furiously as he and Jack took a rough hold of Sean and led him upstairs to Danny's apartment, causing Sean to immediately panic and nearly vomit when he saw the blood trail and Danny's apartment in complete disarray.

"What the hell is going on here? Where's Danny? Where is he?" Sean said as he struggled not to vomit out of the terror that he felt.

"Sean, calm down. We put an APB out on Danny because we don't know where he is. But there's something that you have to see. Ritchie had this video delivered to Danny. You have to watch it and maybe see if it gives you any clues to where Danny might have gone." Jack said gruffly but compassionately, causing Sean to cry horrified and cover his mouth when he saw Ritchie's video and it caused him to gag violently.

"Hang on. I've got you." Jeff said urgently as he rushed Sean to Danny's bathroom and Sean began vomiting violently three times, causing Jeff to lead him back to the living room crying after Sean cleaned up.

"Son of bitch! How the hell did that get here?" Sean cried distraught.

"According to the neighbors, it was brought by a courier service. But that's not important. What's important is that we find Danny. Now, do you have any idea where Danny could be?" Jeff said a bit gruffly out of fear and Sean nodded.

"He's going to kill himself, I know he is. And he's going to do it where his father can see it. He probably went to 'Shady Meadows Cemetery'. That's where Andrew's buried." Sean cried distraught.

"All right, then let's get over there. Let's go." Jack said urgently and they rushed out of Danny's apartment and to the cars as they drove away like maniacs.

_Shadow Meadows Cemetery…_

Danny arrived crying distraught and bloodied to his father grave as he held his gun in his hand. He fell to his knees as he cried uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry, dad! I killed you! You're dead because of me and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it! Ritchie killed you because I killed Sebastian and I let him get away with it! Ritchie was right! I'm just a murderer and I never deserved to have been given a badge! But I'm going to pay for what I did to you and the others! No one's ever going to die again because of me!" Danny cried completely distraught and violently but like a child as he put the gun to his head.

"Danny! Noooooo!" Sean screamed crying as he ran toward Danny, causing Danny to shake his head at Sean as he cocked his gun and put his finger on the trigger.

Will Sean and the team stop Danny in time or will this be end for the Danny Taylor who we've all grown to love? Nothing is certain.


	18. Chapter 18

Slipping Into Darkness

Disclaimer: As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: **__Shadow Meadows Cemetery…_

Danny arrived crying distraught and bloodied to his father's grave as he held his gun in his hand. He fell to his knees as he cried uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry, dad! I killed you! You're dead because of me and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it! Ritchie killed you because I killed Sebastian and I let him get away with it! Ritchie was right! I'm just a murderer and I never deserved to have been given a badge! But I'm going to pay for what I did to you and the others! No one's ever going to die again because of me!" Danny cried completely distraught and violently but like a child as he put the gun to his head.

"Danny! Noooooo!" Sean screamed crying as he ran toward Danny, causing Danny to shake his head at Sean as he cocked his gun and put his finger on the trigger.

Chapter 18

"Danny, no! Stop! Please don't do this!" Sean cried horrified as he tried to get near Danny.

"Stay the hell away from me! Leave me alone!" Danny cried angrily out of desperation—he couldn't believe that he'd let Ritchie kill his father. "I killed him! He's dead because I'm a fucking murderer!" Danny cried frantically as he shook violently.

"Danny, please don't do this! Please! You didn't kill your dad and you're not a murderer! Ritchie was the fucking murder, not you! You didn't kill anyone! Please, just give me the gun, Danny! Please don't leave me here alone because of that bastard, Danny! Please!" Sean cried pleading fearfully as he took a step closer to Danny.

"Get the hell away from me! Get out here! You don't need to see this!" Danny cried angrily but distraught but Sean shook his head as he continued crying and moved a little closer to Danny. "Don't take another fucking step, Sean! I mean it!" He cried furiously, causing Sean to fall to his knees as he cried.

"Danny, please, you can't do this. Think about your friends and family. We need and love you so much, kiddo. Think about your dad, Danny. He loves you so much and he knows how much you still love him. But he doesn't want you to blame yourself for what Ritchie did. You didn't kill him, Ritchie did." Sean cried soothingly but fearfully.

"That's not fucking true and you know it! Ritchie killed him because I killed Sebastian!" Danny cried distraught.

"Damn it, Danny! Sebastian made his choice and so did you! You chose to stop hanging with the wrong crowd and chose to let Andrew help you! He took you into his home, made you his son and gave you all the love and guidance that you needed so much! You made him so happy, kiddo! But unlike you, Sebastian continued his life of crime! He was so angry and envious that you left with Andrew that he went after you and your family, Danny! And what you don't know is that Ritchie knew his plan all along!" Sean cried terribly upset as he crawled on his knees toward Danny.

"What the hell are you talking about?! Ritchie didn't even know that he'd come after me until after I killed Sebastian!" Danny cried angrily but distraught, causing Sean to shake his head.

"That's not true, munchkin. Remember when Ritchie nearly beat me to death and then shot me trying to get to you? Well, when he was beating me in that warehouse, he confessed to me that he was the one who gave Sebastian the gun. And he's the one who told Sebastian to kill you and your family. He did it to get even with you for leaving the gang. And Sebastian agreed. Sebastian breaking into your father's house was just a ruse to kill all of you. He was going to kill you anyway. But you shot him first and Sebastian couldn't kill you, your dad and the rest of your family. Don't you see, Danny? You're not responsible for anything that's happened. The only ones at fault are Ritchie and Sebastian, not you. You're the greatest victim here, Danny. You can't do this, kiddo. Please, just give me the gun and we'll take care of you. You're not alone, Danny. You've got me, your friends, your family and wherever he's at, you've also got Andrew and the rest of your family looking out for you because we love you so much and don't want anything to happen to you." Sean cried emotionally as he continued crawling another few steps towards Danny.

"That's not true! I killed him!" Danny cried distraught as the gun remained on his head and his hand shook violently.

"No. you didn't kill anyone, Danny. Please don't think that, Danny. We need you so much. Don't let your dad down now, Danny." Sean pled crying, causing Danny to cry more but look at him. "You heard me, kiddo. Don't let your dad Andrew down now. He doesn't want you to kill yourself, munchkin. Andrew doesn't want you to quit your job either, munchkin. Andrew wants you to keep living and helping so many people like you have until now." Sean cried soothingly but with conviction as he got a bit closer to Danny but Danny moved back.

"No, no, no! Stay back! I have to pay for killing him!" Danny cried distraught but like a child, all of a sudden.

"The only one who's paying for what he did, is Ritchie. You didn't kill anyone. You saved all of our lives, Danny. And now it's time for you to let us take care of you. Let me and the rest of your family and friends take care of you just like you've taken care of all of us, munchkin. Please." Sean cried soothingly but with conviction but Danny shook his head.

"No, no, no. I can't do this anymore." Danny cried distraught as he shook and then suddenly screamed and cried in agonizing pain as he held his head. "Aaaaagh!" He screamed and cried in agony.

"Danny, Danny, calm down and let me help you, please. You're in pain because of your head injuries." Sean cried fearfully.

"No! Stay the hell away…from…me! I'm ending this now!" Danny cried and screamed in agony and was going to pull the trigger, when he saw something that caused him to cry more frantically.

"Shhh. You're going to be okay, Danny. I know you are. I promise. But I want you to give Sean the gun, munchkin." Andrew, Danny's dad, said peacefully to him as he soothed Danny's face but Danny shook his head.

"No, I can't do that. I killed you and Sebastian and now I have to pay for that." Danny cried like a child but distraught, causing Jack, Jeff, Viv and Martin to cautiously approach Sean.

"Sean, what the hell is wrong with him?" Jack said angrily.

"Damn it. I need to get him back to the hospital right away. He's hallucinating because of his head injury. He thinks he's seeing and talking to his dad. Don't get near him or you'll scare him and he'll pull the trigger." Sean cried fearfully but sternly out of concern.

"Shhh. You didn't kill me, sweetie. Ritchie killed me and he's the one who hurt you so much. But you didn't do anything wrong." Andrew said peacefully.

"Yes, I did. I killed you. I let Ritchie kill you that night and let him get away." Danny cried distraught and in agonizing pain like a child as he was ready to pull the trigger.

"Those are his lies, sweetie. None of what Ritchie told you is true. You didn't kill me. Danny, you brought me and my family—_**our**_ family—so much happiness since we took you in. Don't let Ritchie ruin all of that now. You're stronger than that. Besides, it's not time for you to come with me yet. You've got a lot of people that you still have to help here." Andrew said smiling peacefully but Danny cried fearfully and shook his head.

"No. I can't help anyone anymore after what happened." Danny cried pained and emotionally like a child.

"That's nonsense, sweetie. Your brother Sean and your friends are going to help you through this. They're going to take care of you just like I'm still watching over you. And you're going to continue doing your job and helping so many people. But right now, I want you to give Sean your gun and let him take care of you at the hospital. Come on." Andrew said peacefully.

"No, I can't do that." Danny cried pained as he shook violently.

"Shhh. Yes you can, sweetie. Do it for me, your friends and your family. I'm proud of you for everything you've accomplished. But make me more proud now by giving up your gun to Sean. Come on. You can do it, baby." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face softly.

"Danny, please, give me the gun. We'll get you through this, little brother. Please. Please don't leave me here alone, Danny. I need you. We all need you, kiddo." Sean cried upset and very emotionally but he wouldn't dare get near Danny.

"Look at me, sweetie. Don't let Sean suffer like that. He needs you so much. You both need each other so much. I promise that everything is going to be okay and that all these caring people are going to help you feel better again." Andrew said peacefully as he softly soothed Danny's face.

"But, I'm scared." Danny cried pained as he shook violently and a welcoming darkness threatened to take over.

"Shhh. Danny, listen to me. Please. Please, look at me." Sean pled crying, causing Danny to look at him very fearfully. "Please don't be scared. Let me help you, munchkin. Let us take care of you. Please, we need you so much, Danny. I know how desolate you feel now, but I swear on my life that you're going to be okay. We'll get you through this if you'll let us help you. But you have to give the gun, Danny. Please, I know you can." Sean pled crying soothingly but very emotionally as he held a hand out to Danny, causing Danny to look at him more fearfully and then look to his father.

"Shhh. You can do this, sweetie. Make me proud and give Sean the gun right now. Sean and your friends are going to help you feel better. They'll always be here taking care of you, just like I still look over you. So, don't be scared anymore and give him the gun, sweetie. It's okay. I promise." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face.

"Danny, please, give me the gun. Let us help you." Sean cried soothingly but fearfully, causing Danny to cry more emotionally as he looked between Sean and his dad. "Please make your dad proud, munchkin. Give me the gun and I'll take care of you. I won't ever let anything happen to you again. But please don't let Ritchie take you away from me like before. I need you so much, little brother." Sean cried emotionally as held out a second hand for Danny.

"Go ahead, little bear. Give Sean your gun and let your little brother and your friends take care of you." Andrew said peacefully as he soothed Danny's face, causing Danny to cry very emotionally.

"But…" Danny cried emotionally to Andrew and then looked at Sean and couldn't continue.

For the first since he'd arrived, Danny realized that Sean was really there and not part of his imagination. And seeing Sean suffering like he was, caused Danny's heart to hurt worse.

"Sean?" Danny cried pained, confused and very emotionally like a child as his hand and gun wavered but his finger remained on the trigger.

"Shhh. I'm right here, munchkin. Please, let me help you. Let us take care of you and make you better again. Please? We still have too much that we need to do together, little brother. Give me your gun, Danny. Please." Sean cried emotionally as he sat kneeled beside Danny and held his hands out.

"Do it, munchkin. Give him the gun, little bear." Andrew said peacefully as he softly soothed Danny's head and face, causing Danny to give up his gun to Sean and cry frantically when Sean held him protectively tight and cried extremely emotionally as they both shook. "Shhh. You did great, little bear. I'm very proud of you, Danny. I love you." He said peacefully as he soothed and kissed Danny's head and then disappeared.

"Shhh. I'm going to take care of you. I'm never going to let anyone ever hurt you again, munchkin. I swear on my life." Sean cried emotionally as he held a frantically crying Danny protectively tight as he held the gun, causing Jack to take a hold of the gun as tears stained his, Jeff's, Viv's and Martin's face.

"It was fully loaded." Jack whispered quietly as his voice broke and fresh tears escaped his eyes. "Sean, the ambulance is here already." He said sniffling, causing Danny to cry more frantically.

"No, I don't want to go back to the hospital!" Danny cried frantically and very pained as he tried to get away from Sean, causing Sean to hold him tighter.

"Shhh. I'm going to take care of you, I promise. And I'm going to call my psychologist friend, Dr. Jamie Gonzalez to come see you at the hospital. But right now, I need you to let me help you take that pain away and help you sleep for a little while." Sean cried soothingly but Danny shook his head as he cried frantically.

"Jack, I need you, Jeff and Martin to hold him tight because I have to inject him but he's going to fight me." Sean cried with conviction and they took a hold of a hold a frantic Danny and he removed two syringes and vials from his waist pack and began preparing them, causing Danny to scream and cry more frantically and struggle against and kicked the guys.

"Jack, we have to cuff him now before he hurts himself." Martin said fearfully as he cuffed Danny's hands behind his back, causing Jack and Jeff to cuff his feet when he continued kicking them and crying frantically.

"Shhh. Calm down, munchkin. I'm going to take you back to the hospital to make sure that you didn't hurt yourself. And then we're all going to take care of you." Sean cried soothingly but urgently as he lowered Danny's jeans to this his thighs, causing Danny to scream and cry frantically in agonizing pain when Sean injected him twice in the thigh and then took a protective hold of him.

"Shhh. That's it, it's over. It's over, munchkin. You're going to be okay, I promise." Sean cried emotionally but soothingly as he held Danny protectively and gently rocked him back and forth.

"What the hell did you do to me?! I hate you! I…hate…you!" Danny cried angrily until complete darkness took over.

"What's going to happen to him now?" Martin said gruffly as tears stained his face—but that anger was directed at Ritchie for the video that he'd left Danny.

"Calm down, Martin. We're not going to lose Danny. We'll get him through this. The first thing we need to do is get him to the hospital so that I can run some tests and make sure that he didn't hurt himself further. Afterwards, I'll have the psychologist evaluate him and then we'll move on from there. But, no matter what, I'm not going to lose him." Sean cried with conviction as the paramedics arrived and put Danny on a gurney.

"Take him to St. Luke's." Sean said seriously.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but his vitals are unstable. So, he has to go to County General. Besides, St. Luke's isn't taking anymore patients." The male paramedic said somewhat sternly and concerned as they loaded Danny into the ambulance.

"Like hell you're taking him to County General. I'm his doctor and I'm also the administrator of St. Luke's. So, you're not going to have a problem. Now, get him to St. Luke's." Sean said harshly out of concern.

"Fine, Sir. But he has to ride alone." The male paramedic said sternly.

"Think again, hotshot. He's a federal agent and he's not going anywhere alone." Jack said gruffly and with conviction and then turned to Martin. "Martin, you go with Danny and we'll follow behind. But don't let him out of your sight for a second." Jack said a bit gruffly but with compassionate undertones.

"And Martin, don't let the nurses or anyone else kick you out of the room. I'm going to call my dad and have him prepare everything for Danny. So, don't let anyone else near him, except for my dad and Nurse Vicky. Now, go on. Get out of here." Sean said seriously but compassionately, causing the ambulance to speed off after Martin got inside.

Jack, Jeff, Viv and Sean left the cemetery. Just like he said, Sean called his father and explained the situation, causing Dr. Foster to immediately prepare everything for Danny's arrival.

The paramedics arrived five minutes later. But Martin was terrified because Danny's vitals had gone through the roof and were now dangerously high.

"What's wrong with him?" Martin asked very fearfully when Danny began vomiting as he remained unconscious, causing Dr. Foster to suction him.

"Calm down, Agent Fitzgerald. Sean called me and explained that he had to sedate Daniel. The vomiting is just one of the side effects of the sedatives that Sean gave him. He's also going to be asleep the next several hours." Dr. Foster explained as gently as possible as tears stained Martin's face.

Martin was going to say something when Sean showed up in Danny's treatment room.

"How's he doing, dad?" Sean said concerned as he washed and gloved up and began examining Danny.

"Daniel's vitals were dangerously high when he arrived and I also had to suction him because the sedative caused him to vomit. But Daniel is stable now." Dr. Foster said kindly.

"Either way, I'm ordering an MRI. I have to make sure that he didn't hurt himself further. He also began having visual and auditory hallucinations. I already spoke to Dr. Gonzalez and she'll be down here later to evaluate him once he's awake. But in the meantime, I'm going to take him down to Radiology." Sean said concerned and then noticed Martin's fearful look, causing Sean to gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Calm down, kiddo. I know how difficult things may be, but I know that my little brother's going to pull through. Now, you can come with me but only if you calm down. So, here, drink this." Sean said caringly as he handed Martin two cups—one filled with cold water and another with medication.

"No. I'm not drinking that. I'm fine." Martin cried softly but angrily.

"You're not fine, Martin. Your nerves are shot to hell, especially after seeing Danny in that state. Besides, if you want to stay with Danny, you don't have a choice. Look, if you're worried about falling asleep, don't be, because this is to keep you relaxed but awake. Come on." Sean said kindly, causing Martin to growl angrily at him but then drink the water and medication offered.

"That's good, Martin. Now, come with me. I have to get him to Radiology." Sean said caringly and then they took Danny to Radiology for his MRI.

After Radiology, Danny was moved to a private room and the others were allowed to see him. Everyone stayed in the room looking out for Danny and discussing how they were going to help him. It was six that evening, when Danny finally began waking up after four hours, causing him to groan and stir weakly but pained as he weakly held his throat.

"Shhh. Look at me, Danny. Wake up." Sean said caringly and Danny opened his eyes and looked at him. "Drink some water, munchkin. I know that your throat hurts, but that's because we had to suction you twice." Sean explained gently but caringly, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he slowly drank the water offered.

"Shhh. Everything's going to be okay, munchkin. I promise. We're going to get you through this and get you back to your old self again." Sean said caringly but Danny didn't say anything as tears ran freely down his face, causing him to weakly but tightly squeeze Martin's hand when Martin gently squeezed his hand in a brotherhood grip.

"I'm not going anywhere, brother. None of us are. But you have to let us help you and you can't run away from us like you did, okay?" Martin said caringly but with conviction as fresh tears escaped his eyes, but Danny only squeezed his hand tightly as he began shaking a bit.

"Shhh. Calm down and breathe, munchkin. You're going to be okay." Sean said soothingly but Danny's vitals began destabilizing. "Calm down, Danny. You're panicking and that's going to make you feel worse." Sean said sternly out of concern and then shined a light in Danny's eyes. "Damn it. Shhh. Calm down, kiddo. I know that you're dizzy but you have to focus. Focus on me. Come on, kiddo. Focus on me and control your breathing and the dizziness will stop." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he took a hold of Danny's face and gently forced Danny to look at him.

"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked gruffly out of concern.

"He's dizzy from the medications that I gave him. But he's also scared and panicking." Sean said a bit sternly but concerned, causing Danny to suddenly give in to complete darkness. "Damn it." He said frustrated.

"What the hell is wrong with him and why the hell does he keep passing out?" Jeff said angrily out of fear, causing Viv to gently squeeze his hand.

"Sweetie, calm down. Sean already said that he's like that because of the medications that he gave him. Look, I know that we're all scared but we have to stay strong for Danny. How are we supposed to help him if we all lose control? So, all of you need to calm down so that we can help Danny—because he's all that matters right now, not our fears." Viv said a bit sternly but caringly, causing the guys to sigh heavily.

"You're right, Viv. I'm sorry. I just can't see Danny suffering like this. He's already been through enough hell and doesn't need anything else bad to happen to him." Jeff said with a heavy sigh, causing Danny to cough and gag violently when Sean put smelling salts under his nose.

"That's it, kiddo. Just breathe. Breathe nice and slow because I don't want to do that to you again." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he soothed Danny's head like a child, causing Danny to take slow breaths but look at Sean crossly as tears escaped his eyes.

"Asshole." Danny said crossly, causing everyone to softly chuckle amused and causing Danny to hold Martin's hand tightly when Martin took a hold of his hand once again.

All of a sudden, there was a knock at the door and a female doctor entered Danny's room, causing Danny to fearfully hold Martin's hand very tightly.

"Hey, what's wrong, brother? Calm down." Martin said calmly but fearfully as he squeezed Danny's hand.

"Kiddo, calm down. This is the friend that I was telling you about—the psychologist who's going to help you. This is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez." Sean said caringly but Danny shook his head fearfully.

"Hello, Danny. My name is Dr. Jamie Gonzalez. I'd like to speak with you for a few minutes." The doctor said with a kind smile after she shook everyone's hands, causing fresh tears to escape Danny's eyes as he shook a bit again. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask all of you to leave me alone with him—even you, Sean." She said kindly but concerned but Danny held Martin's hand freakishly strongly and shook his head.

"Calm down, brother. We'll be back soon. I promise. It's all right." Martin said caringly but concerned when fresh tears escaped Danny's eyes as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Danny, but I have to speak with you alone. Now, let go of him, because the sooner we get started, the sooner you'll see your friends again." Dr. Gonzalez said somewhat sternly but caringly, causing Danny to look at her harshly. "Get angry all you want, Danny, but he has to leave the room. Now, let him go. I won't ask you again." She said sternly but with compassionate undertones, causing Danny to quietly shriek furiously after he released Martin and everyone left the room.

"Who the hell does she think she is? She doesn't have any fucking right to kick us out of there—just like she doesn't have any damn business treating him like that." Martin quietly said angrily as he fisted his hands and tears escaped his eyes.

"Martin, calm down. I know that she seems harsh but she's not. She did the same thing when she first saw me after Ritchie's last attack on me. She had to be stern with me because I wanted to lose myself in my own world, the hell away from everyone. That's the same thing that Danny's doing now. But she's not going to let him do that. Don't worry. He's going to be okay. She's going to help him like she helped me. We're all going to help Danny. You'll see." Sean said compassionately but with conviction.

_Back in Danny's Room…_

Danny continued quietly shrieking angrily and shaking violently for several minutes until he became breathless, causing Dr. Gonzalez to fill a cup with ice-water.

"Here, drink this water." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly as she gently fed Danny all the water and began checking his vitals. "You need to calm down and take slow breaths. I know that you're upset about your friends leaving. But I have to talk to you alone first and then I'll let them come back in." She said kindly as Danny continued sobbing quietly but angrily.

"I don't need a damn thing from anyone." Danny quietly sobbed angrily as he sniffled very emotionally, causing Dr. Gonzalez to smile sympathetically and sit down on a rolling chair next to Danny's bed.

"So, is that why you didn't want your friend to leave and why you held on to him so tightly?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and a small smile and began writing in Danny's chart. "So, Danny, what kind of job do you do?" She asked kindly.

"I used to be an FBI agent but I quit." Danny quietly cried bitterly.

"Hmm. Do you like being an agent?" Dr. Gonzalez said kindly.

"I told you that I quit. Are you deaf?" Danny quietly cried angrily, causing Dr. Gonzalez to write in Danny's chart and then look at him sternly. "What the hell do you keep writing in that stupid thing?" He quietly cried angrily but emotionally.

"First of all, Danny, if you want me to treat you harshly, like I would a petulant child, then I will. Otherwise, stop with the attitude and show me the respect that I deserve and that I've shown you as well. And secondly, you haven't answered my question. Now, I'll ask you again. I didn't ask you whether you quit or not because I already know that your boss wouldn't accept your resignation. Now, answer my questions from now on, sincerely. Do you like being an agent?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly as she smiled sympathetically, causing Danny to let his body sag in defeat as he quietly cried very emotionally.

"That doesn't matter anymore." Danny quietly cried defeated but very emotionally.

"Why doesn't it matter anymore, Danny?" Dr. Gonzalez asked gently but caringly as she wrote in Danny's chart.

"Because a murderer like me never should've been given a badge." Danny quietly cried extremely emotionally as he covered his face, causing the doctor to become concerned because Sean had already explained the situation and she knew that it wasn't Danny's fault what had happened with Ritchie.

"Why would you believe that, Danny? I know what happened here at the hospital and also with…Sebastian..." Dr. Gonzalez said concerned as she looked through his chart and then back at Danny. "…and that wasn't your fault. That's not true. You're not a murderer. Now, we'll get back to that, but right now I want you to tell me about what it's been like for you to be an agent. Has it been rewarding—spiritually, I mean, not financially. How has it felt to save so many lives?" She said caringly.

"I haven't saved anyone." Danny quietly cried despondently.

"That's not what your work file says. I know because I read it. You've saved countless lives, Danny—including some that have hit close to home. Now, you said before that you consider yourself a murderer because of Sebastian. Now, have you considered yourself a murder all these years or just because that's what Ritchie told you before he was killed?" Dr. Gonzalez said caringly, causing Danny to cover his face and quietly cry emotionally.

"He opened my eyes to the truth." Danny quietly cried despondently, causing Dr. Gonzalez to sigh softly and look at him concerned.

"No he didn't, Danny. Ritchie said that to you because he was angry at you and the world. He was a sick individual who came after you, your family and your friends for something that your weren't even responsible for. Ritchie was the sadistic sociopath and murder, not you. Sociopaths don't care whether they ruin your life or not. They pretend to care about you but they have other motives, which include, hurting you and those closest to you. They only see other human beings as easy marks and not people at all. And one of the aspects they enjoy most is creating a sense of hopelessness in their victims—making their victims believe that death is the only way they'll find peace." Dr. Gonzalez explained gently but caringly, causing her to remove Danny's hands from his face when he covered it and quietly cried extremely disturbed.

"Danny, you're giving Ritchie the exact thing that gave him the most pleasure. You're turning away from your family, your friends, your job and most importantly, you felt so desperate by the cold-blooded message he left you, that you nearly ended your life. Danny, don't kill yourself for Ritchie. I know that finding out about your dad was horrifying, but take comfort in knowing that wherever he is, he's not suffering anymore. Danny, I want you to be honest with me and truthfully answer my next question. Do you honestly believe that your family, your friends and your coworkers, would be glad if you were dead? Please answer me truthfully, Danny." Dr. Gonzalez asked gently and caringly but there was a hint of concern in her voice, causing Danny to quietly cry very emotionally and try to cover his face but she wouldn't let him.

"No. Don't hide from me, Danny, and answer me truthfully. Would they be glad to see you dead? Would they greatly celebrate your death or would they mourn it greatly?" Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but compassionately.

"No!" Danny quietly cried extremely emotionally as he shook somewhat violently.

"That's right, Danny. No one wants anything thing bad to happen to you. Everyone loves and cares about you so much. They're just so worried about you." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly as she took a hold of Danny's violently shaking hands in her own.

"How the hell can I face anyone after what happened? Ritchie said that he went after the others because I got away from him when he tried to kill me." Danny quietly cried despondently as he shook violently.

"No, that's not true, Danny. Like I told you before, sociopaths like Ritchie don't see their victims as people at all. So, stop blaming yourself for his actions. Remember, he's the sociopath, not you." Dr. Gonzalez said compassionately.

"I can't! I can't get Ritchie's damn voice and face out of my head! And I can't sleep! All I keep seeing is Ritchie killing the entire team in front of me!" Danny quietly cried terribly upset.

"Shhh. I'm going to help you but I need you to breathe slowly and calm down a bit. Come on." Dr. Gonzalez said concerned as she fed him some water, causing him to calm down several minutes later. "Okay, Danny, I need you to listen to me. Now, I'm going to help you by starting you on a treatment today. But I'm going to need you to work with me. I'm going to go talk to Sean about your treatment and then I'll be back to talk to you and your friends because they're going they're going to be involved in it. But in the meantime, I'm going to let your friends come back in, okay?" Dr. Gonzalez said caringly as she smiled sympathetically and covered Danny with a blanket after she checked his vitals.

"Okay." Danny softly said sniffling as tears escaped his eyes.

"Okay, Danny. I'll be right back." Dr. Gonzalez said caringly and then left the room.

"Jamie, how is he?" Sean asked kindly but concerned.

"Sean, his teammates can go in and see him now. I'll be in there to speak with all of you in a few minutes. But in the meantime, go ahead. He needs your company now, more than anything else." Dr. Gonzalez said caringly, causing Jack, Jeff, Martin and Viv to enter the room.

"Jamie, what's going on? Why did you ask me to stay behind?" Sean asked concerned.

"Sean, I'm going to be honest with you. I'm very concerned about Danny right now and I think it'll be best if he stays under observation these next several days. What Ritchie did to him, destroyed his will to live. Now, I talked with him and I believe that he finally understands that it wasn't his fault what happened to any of you. But he's far from 'cured'." Dr. Gonzalez explained very concerned.

"What is that supposed to mean? I thought you said that he understood that it was Ritchie's fault and not his." Sean said a bit gruffly but concerned.

"Look, Danny's emotional state is very dangerous right now. He's so lost in his despair that he can still try to end his life again. And I'm afraid that he will be successful if he attempts it again. That's why I want your help in keeping here under observation for several days. I'm also going to start him on extensive psychotherapy and medication. Then, we'll take it from there. But, Sean, what he needs most right now is to spend time with you and his friends. Otherwise, I find it very difficult that he'll make it through this." Dr. Gonzalez explained truthfully and concerned but compassionately.

"I'm not going to lose him, Jamie. I'll do whatever I have to, to help him, we all will." Sean said with conviction.

"I know you will, Sean. But I also know that Danny is a much difficult patient to get through to than you were. That's why I'm going to have to ask all of you to show him compassion but you also have to be stern with him when you deem it necessary. Now, let's go in to talk to him." Dr. Gonzalez explained truthfully but caringly.

"Okay, but we're going to have to be very careful because he hates hospital and when he finds out that he has to stay here again, he might lose control. And I'm telling you right now. I'm not sending him to any psych ward, Jamie. I'm monitoring him with me here. Let's go." Sean said with conviction.

"Fine. But he will have to follow a strict treatment." Dr. Gonzalez explained a bit sternly as they entered Danny's room once again, causing them to find Danny tightly holding on to Martin's hand as tears stained his face.

"How are you feeling, munchkin?" Sean said soothingly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child.

"I'm fine." Danny said softly but he wouldn't look at Sean, causing Sean to gently force Danny to look at him.

"Stop hiding from me, all right. You're not okay. Now, there are some things that we have to talk to you about." Sean said sternly but caringly.

"What do you want, Sean?" Danny said softly but angrily as tears escaped his eyes—he was angry and feeling guilty so he just wanted to push away from everyone.

"Danny, stop the attitude right now or you're just going to be treated like a petulant child. Now, there are some things that we have to discuss." Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but caringly.

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm fine. I don't need a damn thing from anyone and I'm leaving this stupid place anyway." Danny quietly cried angrily but he wouldn't move because he still felt lightheaded.

"Shhh. Calm down, munchkin. You're not going anywhere. You're going to stay here in the hospital for a few days." Sean said a bit sternly as he took a hold of Danny.

"You're also going to start extensive psychotherapy, medications and you'll have a strict schedule that you're going to follow. Aside from therapy, you're also going to have time to spend with all your friends—including…Agent Spade who's downstairs. And just in case you're wondering, Danny, you don't have a choice. This is all part of your therapy. I know that you may be upset now but this is all going to be to help you." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but caringly, causing Danny to suddenly but quietly shriek violently furiously.

"Go to hell! I don't need shit from you or anyone else here! And I'm not staying in this miserable rat hole! I'm leaving!" Danny quietly shrieked violently furious and he reddened furiously as tried to remove all of the medical equipment and get out of bed, causing all of the guys and Dr. Gonzalez to take a hold of him. "Let me go!" He shrieked furiously, causing Sean and Dr. Gonzalez to put hard restraints on his wrists and feet as he continued crying violently.

"Danny, calm down! You're not going anywhere! Come on, damn it!" Martin cried angrily and fearfully.

"Damn it! Let me go! I don't need shit from any of you! I'm not staying here! I hate you! I…hate…you!" Danny cried violently until Sean injected him with a syringe-full of sedative and caused complete darkness to take over.

"Sean, I'm really sorry. But after this breakdown, I'm not sure not that we'll ever be able to get Danny back. He's become too violent and irrational, too quickly. And he's a danger to me, himself and everyone around him. You're going to have to make the extremely difficult decision of having to institutionalize him. Either that or having private home care take care of him. I'm sorry, Sean." Dr. Gonzalez said truthfully as she sighed very heavily and frustrated and then momentarily left Danny's room. ­

--

Could this be the end for Danny Taylor or is there still one person who can bring him out of that deep despair that he is in? We will soon find out.


	19. Chapter 19

Slipping Into Darkness

Disclaimer: As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: **_"Sean, I'm really sorry. But after this breakdown, I'm not sure not that we'll ever be able to get Danny back. He's become too violent and irrational, too quickly. And he's a danger to me, himself and everyone around him. You're going to have to make the extremely difficult decision of having to institutionalize him. Either that or having private home care take care of him. I'm sorry, Sean." Dr. Gonzalez said truthfully as she sighed very heavily and frustrated and then momentarily left Danny's room. ­

Chapter 19

No one could believe what they were hearing, but the one who took Dr. Gonzalez's news the hardest was Martin as he fell into a chair next to Danny's bed. He took a very tight hold of Danny's hand in a brotherhood grip as tears stained every crevice of his face. Sean tried to gently squeeze his shoulder, causing Martin to move away from him in disgust as he growled furiously and more tears escaped his eyes.

"Don't touch me. Just leave me the hell alone. You're wrong just like that stupid doctor you brought in here. She doesn't know a damn thing about Danny to want to lock him away in that damn rat hole. He's not a fucking danger to anyone." Martin said quietly but furiously as more tears escaped his eyes.

"Martin, calm down, kiddo. I know that you're Danny's best friend. Look, I'm not going to have Danny put in some institution. If I had to, I'd take care of him at home but I would never put him away. And anyway, it's too early to think about that. Right now, what he needs is medication, extensive psychotherapy and time with his family and friends. And then we'll move on from there, okay. But in the meantime, why don't you guys go home and get some rest, hmm? With what I gave him, he won't be waking up all night." Sean said softly as his voice broke and tears stained his face.

"Like hell I'm leaving. I'm not going anywhere. All of you can leave but I'm staying right here." Martin quietly said furiously as fresh tears escaped his eyes.

"Martin, there's no use…" Sean tried but stopped when Martin gave him a look so inhuman that it could burn a hole right through him like spewing acid as more tears escaped Martin's eyes, causing Sean to sigh heavily and gently squeeze Martin's shoulder as he nodded. "Okay, Martin. You can stay. But I want you to get some rest and eat too. So, I'm going to order a bed and some food for you as well." Sean said caringly.

"I'm fine right here." Martin quietly said very bitterly as more tears escaped his eyes.

"I'm not asking you, Martin. If you want to stay here with Danny, you'll have to get some rest and eat. I'm going to go place the order for the bed and your food. I'll be right back." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly and then left the room, causing Viv to embrace him from behind when Martin quietly cried furiously and shook.

"Shhh. Don't give up on him now, Martin. This is Danny we're talking about. He's strong and he'll get through this just like he's always gotten through the rest of the hell he's been through in his life. But he needs us now so much, sweetie. He needs us to be here for him even if he tries to push us away. But he also needs us to be strong, Martin. Can you be strong for him?" Viv said as her voice shook a bit but she remained strong and she held Martin a bit tighter.

"Damn it. It's not fair, Viv. We're going to lose him because of everything that that sick son of a bitch did to him." Martin quietly cried furiously through gritted teeth as he held Danny's hand tighter.

"We're not going to lose him, Martin. We'll do whatever the hell we have to, but we won't let Danny push us away anymore. We're going to help him however long it takes, whether the stubborn little bastard wants our help or not." Jack said with conviction.

"And after he gets better, he'll get back on the team again. But we're not going to lose him. We're going to do whatever we have to, to get him out that damn darkness that he's trapped in. Ritchie's dead and we're not going to let that sick son of a bitch take Danny away from us. We're not going to let that happen." Jeff said with conviction as tears stained his face.

All of a sudden the door opened again. It was Nurse Vicky, Sean and an orderly with a bed.

"All right. Go ahead and set up the bed." Sean said kindly and then turned to Martin and began checking his vitals. "I know that you're very upset, Martin, but I need you to calm down. You won't be able to help my little brother if anything happens to you. Now, drink this water. And after that, I want you to change out of those filthy clothes and into these hospital pajamas. Afterwards, you're all going to eat something." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly.

"He's going to eat. We're fine." Jack said gruffly out of exhaustion, causing Sean to look at him harshly.

"Don't give me that bull, Jack. You're all eating and that's final. I'm not asking. If you want to help Danny, start by taking care of yourselves." Sean said sternly but with compassionate undertones and then turned to Martin after he finished drinking his water.

"Here. You can change in the bathroom. And get rid of your shoes and socks also. I've got some footies and toiletries for you in the dresser. There's a toothbrush, mouthwash, toothpaste and other things that you need to get cleaned up. Now, go change." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he handed Martin a hospital bag, causing Martin to sigh frustrated but then go change in the bathroom.

"There, are you happy?" Martin said crossly like a petulant child.

"Don't get smart with me and cool off. Get in bed. Dinner will be here for you guys in just a few minutes." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly but Martin shook his head and took a hold of Danny's hand as he sat in the chair once again next to Danny's bed. "Fine, you can sit here for a few minutes until the food arrives and then you have to get in bed." He said caringly as he gently squeezed Martin's shoulder.

"I don't need to be in bed. I'm not one who's sick, Sean, Danny is." Martin said softly but somewhat crossly as fresh tears escaped his eyes and he held Danny's hand tighter in a brotherhood grip.

"I know that you're upset, Martin. I understand that, okay? I really do. But you won't be able to help Danny if you let yourself get sick. Don't forget that you've still got to have that hand stitched up and bandaged for another week." Sean said compassionately as he gently squeezed Martin's shoulders again, causing him to turn around when there was a knock at the door and it opened.

"Dr. Novak, dinner is ready for them. Will they be eating here or shall I have it set up in the lounge for them?" Nurse Vicky said with a kind smile.

"Just set it up in here, Vicky. It's okay." Sean said kindly, causing Nurse Vicky and another nurse to set up several hospital bedside tables for Viv, Jack, Martin and Jeff as they sat around the room.

They sat around eating and talking over the next half hour until they finally finished, causing Sean to call someone from the hospital's food services department to pick up the empty dinner trays.

"What about Danny? What's he going to eat?" Martin said with a heavy sigh as he took a tight hold of Danny's hand again in a brotherhood grip.

"Like I told you before, Martin, okay? With the sedatives that I gave Danny this last time, he won't be waking up until tomorrow. When he wakes up, though, I'll have breakfast ready for him in here and I won't let it be taken away. But right now, you need to say goodbye to these guys because visiting hours are over. If they want, they'll be able to come back tomorrow and visit Danny, You and Sam." Sean said compassionately.

"What about these damn things? Are you going to take them off?" Martin said crossly and disgusted of the hard restraints that still bounded Danny's wrists and feet.

"I'm sorry, Martin. But the restraints have to stay on. Even if Danny wakes up calm, he'll try to leave and I can't let that happen. For the time being, they have to remain on. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to step out for a moment. I'll be back in a few minutes and then Jack, Jeff and Viv will have to leave, okay. I'll be right back." Sean said somewhat seriously but compassionately and then left the room, causing the others to continue talking to Martin for five more minutes and then leave after Sean returned to the room.

"All right, Martin. It's nine o' clock. You can sit with Danny a few more minutes but then you have to get in bed. You don't have to go to sleep yet if you don't want to. But you can't stay there all night sitting next to him. Now, if you need anything at all, use the call button and page anyone of the nurses. If you need to get in touch with me, here's my card. Everything you need is on there—my address, email, house and cell phone numbers and my pager number. Call me any time. It doesn't matter if it's ten at night or four in the morning. If you need me, call me right away. Now, is there anything else you need before I leave?" Sean said kindly but Martin just sniffled softly he looked at Danny's restraints and tears escaped his eyes.

"I know, kiddo. I know. I don't like seeing him tied up like that either. But we're not going to lose him. We'll do whatever we have to, to help him. I won't ever give up him. I promise." Sean said sympathetically as he sighed heavily, gently squeezed Martin's shoulder again and then left the room and went to the nurses' desk.

"Those two agents in there get whatever they need as well as anyone who comes to see them. And don't make them wait for anything. Is that understood?" Sean said seriously but kindly, causing Nurse Vicky to smile.

"Yes, Sir, Dr. Novak. Shall I page you if they need anything?" Nurse Vicky.

"If anything happens, page me immediately—I don't care the time. Good night." Sean said with a soft smile.

"Good night, Dr. Novak." Nurse Vicky said with a warm smile and then Sean left for the night.

_Back in Danny's Room…_

Martin ignored Sean's orders and continued sitting at Danny's bedside as he continued tightly holding Danny's limp and cold hand in a brotherhood grip.

"Agent Fitzgerald, what are you doing? You know that you should be in bed already." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she entered the room at eleven p.m. and began checking Danny's vitals.

"How is he?" Martin asked nervously of Danny.

"His vitals are a bit elevated but he's resting comfortably and he doesn't have a fever which is a good thing. Now, please get in bed and get some sleep." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she put Martin in bed and covered him with a warm blanket. "Is there anything else you need before I leave?" She said warmly with a kind smile but Martin just looked toward Danny and shook his head as tears escaped his eyes.

"No, I'm fine." Martin said softly but in a hurt tone.

"Okay. But I'm going to be back throughout the entire night to check on you both. I'm going to be here until tomorrow morning when Dr. Novak arrives. So, if you need anything at all, just press the call button and I'll come in right away. Good night and try to get some sleep." Nurse Vicky said sympathetically as she gently squeezed Martin's hand and then left the room, causing Martin's exhausted body to give in to some much needed sleep thirty minutes later.

It was two-thirty in the morning and Martin was sleeping peacefully, when Danny suddenly began stirring and crying fearfully as he slept and sweat and tears stained his face, causing Martin to immediately get out of bed and take a tight hold of Danny's hand, which was soaking in sweat, in a tight brotherhood grip.

"Danny? Danny, can you hear me?" Martin said concerned and somewhat fearfully but Danny wouldn't respond as he sat next to Danny, causing Danny to suddenly wake up screaming and crying but through gritted teeth and his eyes remained closed. "Danny! Danny! Damn it! Wake up and look at me, you're having a nightmare!" Martin said sternly and terrified as he took a tight hold of Danny's face in his hands, causing the monitors to beep wildly and causing Nurse Vicky to immediately run into the room.

"What happened to him?" Nurse Vicky said urgently as she began treating Danny. "Danny, look at me." She said very concerned.

"Damn it. He can't hear you. I think he's trapped in a damn nightmare." Martin said very fearfully as tears stained his face, causing Dr. Gonzalez to suddenly come into the room.

"What are his vitals?" Dr. Gonzalez said seriously and urgently as Danny continued screaming and crying violently through gritted teeth as his eyes remained closed.

"His BP's 190/160 and his pulse is 180." Nurse Vicky said urgently as she raised Danny's oxygen to the highest level, causing Martin to become furious when Dr. Gonzalez immediately prepared a syringe-full of sedative.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Martin said furiously as he stood up between Danny and Dr. Gonzalez.

"I'm giving him a sedative or we're going to lose Danny. And unless you want the same thing and to be permanently taken out of this room, step back and let me do my job." Dr. Gonzalez said very harshly but Martin stood his ground and wouldn't let her near Danny with the sedative.

"You're not giving him any damn sedative! All you want to do is have him locked away and drugged all day and I'm sure as hell not going to let you give him that garbage now! What Danny needs is us, _his family_—not your fucking sedatives!" Martin said furiously and then began looking around for something that he could use to make Danny react.

"Danny! Danny, wake up! Look at me!" Martin said urgently and fearfully but Danny wouldn't react. "Damn it!" He said furiously.

"I'm giving him the sedative. Now, move out of my way." Dr. Gonzalez said harshly.

"You're not giving him any fucking sedative!" Martin said furiously as sweat and tears soaked his face, causing Martin to suddenly grab both his and Danny's water pitcher and dump ice-cold water on Danny head and face.

As soon as he did that, Danny gasped and coughed violently as he cried and finally opened his eyes, causing Martin to keep Dr. Gonzalez and also Nurse Vicky, away from Danny as he took a hold of Danny's face in his hands.

"Danny? Danny, can you hear me? Look at me, brother. Do you understand me?" Martin said fearfully, causing Danny to cry extremely emotionally and fearfully as he looked at Martin fearfully.

"Martin? Are you…are you dead?" Danny cried extremely emotionally, fearfully and confused but somewhat like a child, causing fresh tears to escape Martin's eyes as he shook his head.

"No, Danny. I'm not dead. You were just trapped in a horrible nightmare, so I had to throw water on you. But we're okay, we're safe. You're in the hospital and I stayed here with you to take care of you. But right now I need your help, partner. Can you do something for me?" Martin cried caringly as he continued holding on to Danny's face.

"What?" Danny cried very emotionally and badly shaken as he looked around the room. "Take these damn things off of me." Danny cried very emotionally and terribly upset as he shook violently.

"Shhh. I want you to calm down and breathe because I don't want anything to happen to you, okay. None of us do. Please, I know that you can do this. Just breathe with me, brother. Come on. Breathe nice and slow. Just breathe slowly through your nose, hold it for two seconds and then slowly let it out through your mouth. Come on. I know that you're scared but you have to calm down because your pressure and heart rate's through the roof. Now, you have two choices. You can either do what I tell you or I can call an already very irritable Jack at two-thirty in the morning and tell him to get here now because you're trying to give in to that stupid grim reaper. Then again, he'll probably kick your ass, kick me out of here and stay here taking care of you himself to see if you panic like this again. Now, choose very carefully, Danny. Are you going to do what I tell you or should I call Jack right now?" Martin suddenly laughed crying, causing Dr. Gonzalez and Nurse Vicky to look on in complete shock when Danny laughed crying and shook his head.

"No, no, no! Please don't call Jack! I'll do whatever you want!" Danny laughed crying as he shook somewhat violently and sweat, water and tears stained his face.

"Okay. Then, calm down and start breathing slowly through your nose, hold your breath until I hold up my two fingers and then slowly let it out through your mouth. But I want you to keep your eyes focused on me. Got it?" Martin said caringly as he continued holding Danny's face with one hand and they both began breathing slowly, causing Danny to calm down several minutes later but then he groaned fearfully when the room began spinning. "Take it easy, brother. Just focus on me, on my eyes, until the dizziness fades." He said a bit sternly but caringly as he continued holding Danny's face with one hand and carefully laid Danny in bed but in a reclining position.

"Better?" Martin asked a minute later, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he continued breathing slowly and nodded. "Shhh. Just calm down and keep breathing slowly. We'll deal with one thing at a time." Martin said caringly. "Do you want some water?" Martin said kindly but Danny only nodded as he looked at Martin but Martin shook his head. "I want you to talk to me, Danny. I want to talk to you, not your head. You're not a mute. So, talk to me like a person and answer my question. Would you like some water?" He said somewhat sternly and seriously but caringly, causing Danny to look at him contrite as more tears escaped his eyes.

"Yes, please. I would like some water." Danny said softly as his nose reddened, his lips quivered violently and more tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to look through his duffel bag and get a bottle of water.

"That's good, Danny. That's a start. Here you go, brother." Martin said caringly as he gently sat Danny up in bed again and gently fed him some water, causing Dr. Gonzalez and Nurse Vicky to once again look at each other in complete shock.

"Excuse me, Agent Fitzgerald, but you have to step out. I have to change Danny's bed and get him out of those wet clothes." Nurse Vicky said kindly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll help you get him out of the wet clothes but I'm not going to leave him alone." Martin said seriously and with conviction.

"Very well, Agent Fitzgerald. You can help me get Danny out of the wet clothes. But you have to calm down also because we're only trying to help him." Nurse Vicky said a bit sternly but caringly.

"If you want to help me, get these damn things off of me." Danny said softly but angrily as more tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to gently force Danny to look at him.

"Listen to me, okay. We're going to have to take the restraints off to get you out of those wet clothes. But don't try to run away or they'll have to be put on again." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly.

"Why did you let them put those fucking things on me after what I told you that son of a bitch did to me, Fitzy? How could you let them do that?" Danny cried angrily but then very emotionally, causing Martin to embrace Danny protectively like a brother and lay his head on Danny's.

"Shhh. I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I tried to stop them before but you were in really bad shape and tried to attack us. But I promise you that if you can stay calm and do what you're told, I won't let anyone restrain or sedate you anymore whether they like it or not. Otherwise, they'll have to stay on. Is that understood? Are you going to stay calm and do what you're told? Are you going to stay calm and not try to attack any of us? Are you going to stay calm and not try to run away? Hmm? Answer me, Danny." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly as he continued holding Danny protectively tight and Danny nodded.

"I do. I promise, Fitzy. I'll do whatever you want. But please, take them off. Take them off." Danny cried very emotionally and somewhat fearfully but then began taking slow, deep breaths to regain his composure.

"All right, kiddo. But calm down and breathe, so that I can take them off." Martin said caringly as he momentarily released Danny.

"You can't do that. The restraints have to stay on for everyone's safety." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but with compassionate undertones.

"Back off. I'm taking the restraints off right now." Martin said calmly but angrily through clenched teeth and then he and Nurse Vicky took the restraints off of Danny's wrists and feet, causing Danny to immediately hold on to Martin for dear life as he shook and cried very emotionally when they carefully got him out of bed.

"Shhh. Calm down and breathe, okay? It's over. Now, calm down and let's get you out those wet clothes." Martin said understandingly.

It took fifteen minutes, but Martin and Nurse Vicky helped Danny into a clean, dry hospital gown and then afterwards, Nurse Vicky changed the bed. Once the bed was cleaned, she and Martin gently laid Danny in bed once again but this time Danny didn't protest.

"Feeling better?" Martin softly chuckled amused, causing Danny to redden as he smiled embarrassed.

"Did you really have to dump that ice water on my head?" Danny said chuckling softly as coughed and sniffled a bit, causing Martin to laugh amused and nod.

"Yeah, I did. I kept yelling at you, but you didn't hear me." Martin said gently as he smiled softly and he and Nurse Vicky covered him with two warm blankets, causing Danny to take a tight hold of his hand in a brotherhood grip when Martin sat in the chair next to his bed.

"Thank you." Danny said with a soft sigh he pouted softly and his eyebrows furrowed as if wanted to say something to Martin but couldn't.

"Agent Fitzgerald, you may talk for a few minutes. But it's been a very long and trying day and I suggest that you both get some sleep. I'll be back in a little while to check on Agent Taylor and I do not want to see you on that chair. Is that understood? Good. I'll be right back. Excuse me." Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly and seriously as she and Nurse Vicky left the room.

"I'm glad they're gone. That way we can talk alone without them being nosy." Martin said with a sympathetic smile.

"I can't." Danny said softly as fresh tears escaped his eyes.

"You can't what? Talk? Brother, like I said before, you're not a mute. Now, I want you to be honest with me and tell me what's going on? What's that nightmare that's been eating away at you and making you feel like you're losing your mind? What have you been dreaming?" Martin asked as gently as possible but Danny fearfully tightened his hold on Martin's hand and shook his head as fresh tears escaped his eyes.

"I can't, Martin. I can't." Danny said softly but pain was clearly etched in his voice as tears fell freely from his face.

"Well, I don't care what you think, brother, because we're not going to lose you. Ritchie's gone and so are the rest of his accomplices. They can't hurt you anymore and they can't hurt us. Now, I want to know what you've been dreaming." Martin said somewhat sternly but caringly.

"Just leave me alone, Martin." Danny cried softly but with a pained voice but his actions spoke louder than his words as he fearfully gripped Martin's hand.

"I'm not going to leave you alone, Danny. None of us are. So, you can be a petulant hard ass and push everyone away but you'll just be wasting your time. Now, start talking and tell me what's going on." Martin said sternly, causing him to gently force Danny to look at him when Danny turned away. "Brother, this is your only choice. Do you prefer talking to me, your best friend or having to tell Dr. Gonzalez what's going on first? Hmm?" Martin said caringly and then tightened his grip when Danny quietly cried furiously.

"She can go to hell. And if she thinks that she's putting me away in a fucking nuthouse, she's out of her damn mind. I heard every damn word she said." Danny quietly cried furiously.

"Sean's not going to let happen and neither are any of us. But, please, talk to me and tell me what's going on, Danny. Let that poison out of your system before it kills you. Or is that what you want? Hmm? Do you want to die? Do you hate us so much that you're willing to make us suffer with your death? Do you want _us_ to feel guilty the rest of our lives for your death, for not protecting you from that sick son of a bitch, Ritchie? Is that what you want?" Martin said sternly as fresh tears streamed down his face but Danny didn't answer as he quietly cried furiously, causing Martin to sigh angrily and release Danny's hand as he stood up from the chair.

"Fine, Danny. You want us out of your life, then I'mleaving right now and I'm telling the others not to come back either. Give Ritchie what he fucking wants and let him keep destroying you, even from beyond the damn grave, until you can't stand living anymore and you kill yourself just because you can't get his voice out of your head. But I'm not going to sit around anymore watching you kill yourself like you're doing now." Martin said very harshly as he began packing his duffle and then picked up his clothes to change.

Of course Martin didn't mean what he said. But he had no choice. He felt that it was the only way to help Danny and finally get through to him. So, he went into the bathroom and changed out of the hospital clothes and into his regular clothes again.

"Goodbye, Danny. Forever." Martin said seriously and with a harsh look as he picked up his duffle bag and walked to the door, causing him to open the door.

"Stop!" Danny quietly cried very upset and fearfully as he reached out for him but Martin wouldn't look at him. "Please!" He quietly cried terribly upset but he sounded like a petrified child as he shook, causing Martin to turn around to find Danny shaking violently.

"What, Danny? Why shouldn't I walk out of this room and out of your life forever? It's what you want. You want to kill yourself, go ahead. But I'm not going to stand by and watch you kill yourself. I'm only giving you what you want. You told me to leave—that you didn't need anyone and that you were fine on your own. So, why should I stay now and watch you kill yourself? Hmm? Why?" Martin said sternly but caringly as tears stained his face and he continued holding his duffle bag, causing Danny to quietly cry more and shake his head vigorously.

"No, please don't leave, Martin! Please!" Danny quietly cried terrified and emotionally but like a child as he shook violently and tears stained every crevice of his face.

"What's the point, Danny? You won't talk to us, you keep pushing us—_your family_—away. For what, for a sociopath like Ritchie who tried to kill you and all of us?" Martin said softly but sternly as his voice shook and tears stained his face but Danny shook his head.

"I swear that I'll tell you everything now, but please don't leave! Please, Martin!" Danny quietly cried terribly upset as he shook violently and began struggling to breathe, causing Martin to drop his duffle and immediately run to Danny's side.

"Okay, all right. But you have to calm down and breathe right now, Danny. Come on. I won't ask you again." Martin said sternly but caringly as he took a strong hold of Danny and gently forced him to drink some water, causing Danny to calm down a bit five minutes later after he began taking slow breaths and drank the entire bottle of water that Martin gave him but he continued crying quietly like a child as he shook. "Calm down." He said sternly but caringly.

"No. You said that you're leaving." Danny quietly cried upset but like a child, causing Martin to worry and grab Danny's wrist tightly when he tried to suck his thumb.

"Don't do that. Calm down and tell me what's been happening and why you're pushing everyone away and I won't leave." Martin said caringly, but concern was clearly evident in his voice and Danny nodded. "All right. Start talking, Danny. I want to know about that nightmare that you keep having and that keeps you up screaming and crying so terrified out your mind. And I want to know why you keep pushing us away." Martin said caringly but concerned as he once again sat in the chair next to Danny's bed and took a tight hold of Danny's hand in a brotherhood grip.

"I already told you that I don't want you guys to get hurt anymore because of me. That's why I keep pushing you away but you don't get it through those thick skulls of yours. Instead, you stand by me even when I insult and hurt you, you stubborn bastard." Danny cried crossly, causing Martin to suddenly chuckle crying.

"Then I guess we're both stubborn, because you're been a hard ass trying to push us away and you can't get through this thick skull of yours that you're not getting rid of us, no matter what you do or say." Martin said with a sad smile as he soothed Danny's head like a child.

"Please don't leave me here alone with that asshole." Danny quietly cried emotionally as he referred to Dr. Gonzalez but Martin shook his head. "What do you want to know, Fitzy?" Danny quietly cried emotionally and upset as his hands shook.

"I told you, brother. I want to know everything about the nightmare." Martin said softly but caringly as tears escaped his eyes.

"There are two nightmares with you and the rest of the team." Danny quietly cried upset.  
"In the first nightmare, I'm back at that warehouse being tortured by Ritchie. You know, when he beat me and shocked me with the cattle prod?" Danny quietly cried upset and Martin nodded. "Well, in the nightmare, he's not the only one tortures me—so do all of you." Danny quietly cried very emotionally upset as he shook, causing Martin to tighten his hold on Danny's hand and bug out a bit.

"What are you talking about?" Martin said shaken by Danny's confession and Danny nodded.

"You heard me. All of you took turns torturing me. All of you did the same thing Ritchie did but worse. And all of you just laughed more when I soiled myself and cried as I begged you to stop. But you just kept repeating that I had to pay for all the bad stuff I've done, all my sins." Danny quietly cried terribly upset and badly shaken as he began shaking violently again, causing Martin to stand up and embrace him protectively tight as he shook a bit.

"Shhh. Calm down. Why didn't you tell me sooner, Danny? You know that we'd never hurt you, ever. We'd give up our lives for you if need be. But there's no way in hell that we'd do something so vile to you." Martin cried softly but soothingly as he shook a bit and held Danny carefully but tighter.

"I don't care. The dreams won't stop and I can't take it anymore." Danny quietly cried terribly upset.

"Shhh. Calm down and breathe, kiddo. You said that there's another dream. Tell me about that one." Martin softly said soothingly as he continued holding Danny protectively tight.

"Sebastian and Ritchie are both alive and they kill all of you in front of me by cutting out your hearts. But you, Jack, Sam, Jeff, Viv, all of you—you open your eyes and blame me for your deaths. That's when you all stand up and kill me while you tell me that I paid with my miserable life for killing you." Danny quietly cried uncontrollably emotionally and fearfully but like a child as he shook violently and struggled to breathe, causing Danny to suddenly begin coughing and gagging violently as his stomach convulsed.

"Calm down, brother." Martin said fearfully as he grabbed a deep bedpan and put it in front of Danny, causing Danny to tightly hold his stomach as he began vomiting violently and painfully four times. "That's it, it's over. Breathe, Danny, come on. Here, rinse your mouth and then drink this water." He said shaken as he helped Danny to rinse his mouth and then carefully fed him a bit of water.

Martin was going to leave to the bathroom but Danny misunderstood the situation, causing Danny to cry fearfully and hold him tightly as he dug his nails into Martin's arm.

"Calm down and let me go, Danny. I'm just going to bathroom to get rid of this mess." Martin said sternly but caringly as he put on gloves and grabbed the soiled bedpan and a washcloth, causing Danny to cry relieved and nod as he released Martin.

"Just lie back down and breathe. This is going to help you feel better." Martin said caringly as he gently soothed Danny's face, head and neck with the wet washcloth and then placed the washcloth on Danny's forehead.

"Thank you." Danny quietly cried shaken like a child as he continued shaking a bit and Martin once again took a hold of Danny's hand in a brotherhood grip as he sat down in the chair next to him.

"You don't have anything to thank me for, brother. I'm proud of you, Danny, just like I'm sure that your father's proud of you for finally telling me what was hurting you so much." Martin said caringly but with conviction, causing Danny to quietly cry very emotionally like a child as he tried to cover his face but Martin wouldn't let him. "Stop hiding from me and everyone else and let us help you." He said understandingly.

"I don't know how to do that after everything that's happened, Fitzy. I know that you guys keep saying that it wasn't my fault but none of you would've met Ritchie if it hadn't been because of me." Danny quietly cried upset but like a despondent child.

"You're wrong about that, Danny. I met Ritchie long before this entire thing started." Martin said gently but seriously and Danny looked at him fearfully.

"What the hell are you talking about, Fitzy?" Danny quietly cried fearfully.

"I was coming into work one day when he stopped in looking for you. He said he was your cousin. We started talking for several minutes and he asked about Jack and his girls, Viv, Sam and me. He said that he knew who we were because you were always talking about us and that you had a Christmas picture with all of us together. Anyway, he left and I didn't see him again until we saw him here, upstairs." Martin explained as gently as possible.

"I swear that I never said that to him, Fitzy. You have to believe me." Danny quietly cried upset but Martin shook his head.

"I know you didn't, brother. That was just Ritchie's way of getting close to us so that he could hurt _us _and _you_. But don't you understand now why we keep telling you that none of this was your fault. Stop letting Ritchie ruin your life, Danny. He was the sociopath, _not you_. So, let us help you." Martin said caringly as fresh tears escaped his eyes.

"I don't know how, Fitzy. I can't stop thinking about what that asshole Ritchie said to me. I can't stop feeling guilty about what happened. I can't sleep or eat. How can anyone help me now?" Danny quietly cried very emotionally when a knock suddenly came to the door—it was Sean smiling softly back at Danny as tears stained his face. "What are you doing here?" He quietly cried emotionally.

"I got here a few minutes ago. Vicky called me and told me what happened, so I got here as fast as I could. I also saw everything that just happened in here and how Martin helped you, kiddo. And I heard what you two just said. Now, if you really want us to help you, you're going to have to work with us." Sean said soothingly as he took a protective hold of Danny and repeatedly soothed and kissed his head.

"No. You and that stupid headshrinker only want to put me away in the nuthouse. I heard what she said. I hate her." Danny quietly cried angrily and very emotionally like a child, causing Sean to shake his head and hold him tighter.

"Shhh. I'm not going to let that happen. I'd never put you in a psychiatric hospital. But there are going to be some changes that you aren't going to like but you don't have a choice. Starting tomorrow morning, you're going to start extensive psychotherapy with Dr. Gonzalez." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly, causing Danny to quietly cry angrily and shake his head. "Be quiet and listen to me. You're starting therapy with Dr. Gonzalez tomorrow morning. You're also going to start taking medication until we deem that you don't need it anymore. The medications are going to start tonight. Is that understood? And don't think that you're going to avoid anyone again. Do you understand me?" Sean said somewhat sternly but caringly.

"Damn it. That's not fair, Sean. I'm not insane." Danny quietly cried angrily and very emotionally.

"I'm not saying that you are crazy, kiddo. But the medications and the therapy will help you and you're going to feel better. I promise. We're love you and we're going to take care of you." Sean said soothingly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child and tears stained his face, causing Martin to tighten his hold on Danny's hand. "Shhh. Calm down, munchkin. Everything is going to be okay." Sean said caringly as he released Danny and took a syringe out of his pocket.

"What the hell are you doing?" Danny quietly cried angrily.

"You need to get some sleep, kiddo. It's late and you're too anxious. So, you have only two choices. You can either take the medication tonight by mouth or I can inject it into your IV. It's your choice. What's it going to be?" Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he held the cup of medication in one hand and the syringe in the other, causing Danny to quietly cry angrily like a petulant child as he grabbed the small cup with medication and the cup of water that Sean gave him.

"Fine, you asshole." Danny quietly cried angrily and swallowed the water and medication offered.

"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue, Danny." Sean said sternly but caringly as he opened Danny's mouth and shined a penlight to make sure he'd swallowed the medication. "That's good, kiddo. Now, you're going to start feeling dizzy in a few minutes, so let's get you settled." Sean said caringly as he grabbed the restraints, causing Martin to stop him.

"Don't. Don't put those restraints back on, Sean. Otherwise, you're going to cause him to panic again. Don't you remember that Ritchie tied him to the beams and tortured him? That's why he's so upset about the restraints. They remind him of what Ritchie did to him." Martin said seriously.

"Is that true, munchkin?" Sean said caringly to Danny, causing Danny to quietly cry emotionally and nod. "Okay, munchkin. Then, I won't put them on. But you have to stay calm or I'll have to put them back on. Is that understood?" He said caringly as he covered Danny with two warm blankets and then turned to Martin.

"As for you, Martin, get out of those ridiculous clothes you're wearing and put those hospital pajamas back on right now. You're not going anywhere except to bed. It's the middle of the night, genius. Now, go in the bathroom and change. Go." Sean said sternly but caringly as he gave Martin back his hospital pajamas and the hospital bag, causing Martin to softly chuckle amused as he walked into the bathroom.

"He's going to leave as soon as you leave." Danny cried softly but crossly like a child, causing Sean to smile softly and shake his head.

"No. He wasn't going to leave you here alone, munchkin. I've been watching you two and he threatened to leave so that you'd finally tell him about your nightmares." Sean said with a soft smile.

"You're lying. And he's going to leave." Danny quietly cried like a petulant child, causing Martin to suddenly chuckle softly but amused as he came out of the bathroom and gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Sean's right. There's no way in hell that I would leave you alone, especially not now. Like Sean said, I only made you believe that because it was the only way to get through to you. Now, get some sleep because you've had a hell of a day." Martin said caringly and then yawned.

"Good, you're tired. Then it shouldn't be hard for these to take effect. Drink." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he handed the Martin a small cup with medication and a cup of water.

"No way, I'm fine. I don't need any drugs to sleep." Martin said crossly, causing Sean to check his vitals.

"Think again, Martin. Your vitals a bit high right now. So, do what you're told and take your meds." Sean said sternly but caringly.

"Drink it or I won't talk to you anymore about what the hell's going on." Danny quietly cried crossly, causing Martin to growl at Danny but then drink the medication.

"Good, now get in bed. By the way, if you two think that you're going to try something stupid like getting out of bed again and talking all night, think again because I'm staying in here right on that couch over here. So, both of you go to sleep right now because you've got an early morning. Good night." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he helped Martin into bed and covered him with two warm blankets.

"What's wrong with you? Why've you tried to keep me drugged since we got here?" Martin said crossly, causing Danny to suddenly giggle amused.

"He's done that because I told him to. It was the only way to keep you safe, Fitzy." Danny giggled amused as he yawned.

"That's it. Both of you go to sleep right now." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly as he put the oxygen back on Danny's face. "This is staying on, at least until tomorrow. Now, get some sleep." Sean said caringly, causing Danny and Martin to giggle amused. "What did I tell you two? Go to sleep." He said in a mock angry tone but couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips as Danny smiled and laughed again.

"I'm not a kid, Sean. Besides, I'm…not…tired." Danny said yawning as he struggled to remain awake.

"Go to sleep, munchkin. Now." Sean said a bit sternly but caringly, causing Sean to smile softly but amused when Danny blew weak raspberries at him and then fell asleep.

"Get some sleep, Martin." He said a bit sternly but caringly but Martin ignored him as he swallowed hard, tears escaped his eyes and he looked at Danny, causing Sean to sigh softly but heavily and gently squeeze Martin's shoulder. "Don't you start too, Martin. Danny's going to be okay. We're going to help him. I know that it seems impossible right now, but we'll all get him through this together." Sean said caringly.

"We can't leave him alone and you know it." Martin whispered somewhat angrily out of fear as more tears escaped his eyes.

"He's not going to be alone. He's going to need to stay with me for a few days. But then I have to go out of town for a medical conference and I'm going to be gone for a week. So, I was going to ask you take care of Danny while I'm away. Do you think that you can do that, kiddo? Could you take care of him that week, make sure he takes his meds, goes to his therapy sessions and take care of anything else he needs?" Sean said caringly.

"Like you even have to ask me that. Of course, I will." Martin said softly but with conviction.

"I knew you wouldn't say no. That's great. But right now, I want you to get some sleep." Sean said caringly but Martin shook his head as he looked at Danny. "Martin, you need to rest also, kiddo. Today's been a very hard day for everyone involved. Look, I know that you care about my little brother and that Danny's your best friend. But how can you expect to help him, if you don't take care of yourself, kiddo?" Sean said a bit sternly but compassionately as he lowered Martin's bed, causing Martin to sigh heavily and nod as more tears escaped his eyes.

"Good. Now get some sleep. Everything is going to be okay. You'll see." Sean said caringly as he covered Martin once again with his two blankets, causing Martin to give in to some much needed sleep.

After making sure that both Danny and Martin were soundly sleeping, Sean lay down on the couch that was in the room and he fell asleep.

It was four-thirty in the morning and Danny lay in a restless sleep as he thrashed weakly and nightmares plagued his mind, causing Danny to suddenly awaken screaming and crying violently. Both Sean and Martin quickly woke up and took tight holds of Danny.

"Danny! Danny, calm down! Wake up!" Martin said fearfully.

"Shhh. Danny, calm down, munchkin. You're okay. You're alright." Sean said urgently and shaken as he gently rocked Danny back and forth and repeatedly soothed and kissed Danny's head, causing Danny to cry frantically and hold his head. "Damn it, Danny. Calm down or I'm going to have to put the restraints back on right now." Sean said sternly out of fear, causing Danny to continue crying and shake his head.

"Unless you want me to throw that ice water on you again and unless you want us to put the damn restraints back on, calm your ass down right now." Martin said harshly out of fear, causing Danny to cry angrily. "Calm your ass down now and start breathing, Danny. Do you understand me?" He said harshly as he took a hold of one of the restraints.

"No! Please don't put that back on me! Please!" Danny cried fearfully and uncontrollably as he shook violently.

"Then calm down and start breathing on your own or I'm going to use the restraints and then I'm going to give you enough sedative to help you sleep until tomorrow." Sean said sternly but caringly as he carefully held Danny tighter, causing Danny to cry very angrily and emotionally but then take slow, shaky breaths to calm down.

It took fifteen minutes, but Danny finally calmed down enough to talk as he sat up in bed sobbing emotionally but like a child as Sean and Martin continued holding on to him and Sean gently fed Danny some water.

"That's it, munchkin. Calm down and breathe nice and slow. You can do this, munchkin. Now, talk to me. Hmm? What happened? Did you have a bad dream?" Sean said soothingly as he held Danny protectively tight, causing Martin to hold Danny's hand tighter when Danny tried to cover his face as he cried more.

"You had the same nightmares, didn't you, brother?" Martin said compassionately but with a heavy sigh, causing Danny to nod crying. "You need to calm down, kiddo. I told you that it's not your fault. You have to remember that. And you also have to start talking about everything that's happened. Look, we all love and care for you, Danny. All we want to do is help you feel good again. We want the old, happy, devious Danny back. But we can't do that without your help, brother. Do you understand me? You have to want us to help you." Martin said softly but with conviction as he held Danny's hand in a brotherhood grip as Danny began struggling to remain after Sean injected a medication into his IV.

"Why did you do that to me?" Danny cried weakly but hurt like a child as complete darkness threatened to take over.

"Shhh. I did it to help you, munchkin. You've been through too much hell. But, munchkin, Martin's right. We can't help you unless you ask us too. And if you want our help, you have to want it for you alone and not for our sakes, okay? But whatever you decide, we love you—we always will—and we'll never leave you alone." Sean said soothingly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child and gently lay him down in bed again as Danny very weakly cried emotionally.

"He…lp…me." Danny cried barely audible and complete darkness took over as his head lolled to the side, causing Sean and Martin to give each other a knowing and relieved look as tears stained their faces and they held Danny tighter.

Although it was very difficult for him, Danny had finally asked his friends—_his family_—for their help. And even though they knew that it wouldn't be an easy task, they would do whatever had to be done to help bring Danny back home—back to his lovable, caring and carefree self once again.

--

A/N: Just a correction—In the previous chapter, the name of the cemetery was misspelled. Instead of 'Shadow Meadows Cemetery', it was supposed to be spelled 'Shady Meadows Cemetery'. I mention the correction because the setting may be used at the upcoming end of this fic. Hope everyone's enjoyed it and thanks for all the reviews.


	20. Chapter 20

Slipping Into Darkness

**Disclaimer:**As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the long update but my laptop was being serviced and by the time I got it back, the plot bunnies weren't playing nice with me. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, R and R is appreciated and helpful. Thanks. Enjoy.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: **_"He…lp…me." Danny cried barely audible and complete darkness took over as his head lolled to the side, causing Sean and Martin to give each other a knowing and relieved look as tears stained their faces and they held Danny tighter.

Although it was very difficult for him, Danny had finally asked his friends—_his family_—for their help. And even though they knew that it wouldn't be an easy task, they would do whatever had to be done to help bring Danny back home—back to his lovable, caring and carefree self once again.

Chapter 20

Danny continued sleeping peacefully the rest of the night. He finally awakened the next morning at ten in the morning, causing him to look on confused and somewhat frightened but like I frightened child when he saw Sean, Martin, Jack, Jeff and Viv standing around the room, looking at him.

"What's going on? What are you doing here?" Danny said softly but like a somewhat frightened child, causing Sean to gently soothe his head.

"Calm down, kiddo. Everything's okay." Sean said caringly and then began checking Danny's vitals. "Munchkin, we need to talk." Sean said gently and then paused momentarily. "Danny, do you remember what happened last night?" He said as gently as possible.

Danny thought back on the previous night and remembered everything that happened, causing Sean to gently soothe his head when he covered his head and face with the blanket. Sean gently removed the blanket but only to find that tears now stained Danny's face.

"Shhh. Everything is going to be okay, kiddo. We're going to take care of you." Sean said soothingly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head like a child and Martin took a hold of Danny's hand in a tight, brotherhood grip, causing Danny to cover his head and face again with the blanket as he tried to stifle a cry.

"Are you going to hide from me again, buddy? Hmm?" Martin said softly but caringly as he tightened his grip on Danny's hand and removed the blanket from Danny's face, causing Danny to sniffle softly and shake his head as he tightened his hold on Martin's hand.

"I'm not hiding from you, Fitzy." Danny said softly as he sniffled and covered his head again but Martin removed the blanket once again, causing Danny to growl softly and sigh frustrated as he covered his nose and mouth with the blanket yet again.

"Danny." Martin said caringly but in a warning tone as he looked at Danny sternly.

"Look, I'm not hiding from you or anyone else, Fitzy. But I just woke up and I haven't even brushed my teeth. So unless you want to smell my fish breath, stop taking the damn blanket off my face." Danny said crossly, causing everyone to laugh very amused.

"All right, kiddo. Cool off. Let's just get you in the bathroom and I'll help you get cleaned up. Then, we'll talk. Come on." Sean said, chuckling softly, as he helped Danny out of bed and gently led him to the bathroom.

Sean helped Danny to brush his teeth and clean up as best as possible. Once cleaned up, Sean carefully led Danny to sit on the recliner.

"Sit still, brother." Martin said a bit sternly when Danny tried to get up from the recliner.

"What do you guys want? Just leave me alone." Danny said crossly as he sighed frustrated and soothed his pained head, causing Sean to gently soothe his head like a child.

"Your head feels like you'vebeen kicked by a mule, doesn't it?" Sean said sympathetically as he smiled softly and Danny nodded as he pouted like an angry child. "I'll give you something for pain, but first we have to talk and then you have to eat something. Okay?" He said caringly and Danny nodded with a heavy sigh.

"Fine. What do you want?" Danny said with a frustrated sigh.

"Like I said before, kiddo. Do you remember what happened last night?" Sean said gently but caringly.

"I already told you that I did. So what?" Danny said softly but somewhat upset, causing him to suddenly become angry when Dr. Gonzalez entered the room. "What the hell do you want? I've got nothing to say to you. And if you think that you're going to put me away in the shithole you call a psych ward, you're out of your damn mind." Danny said calmly but angrily as he glared viciously at Dr. Gonzalez.

"First off, let's get one thing clear, Danny. Whether you like it or not, I'm not going anywhere and neither are your friends. And just like you want some respect, you show me some respect and stop behaving like petulant, disrespectful child towards me and anyone else because you're only going to make matters worse. As far as I know, you're a grown man, so starting acting like one." Dr. Gonzalez said sternly but compassionately, causing Danny to look at her more furiously but not say anything when everyone gave him a serious but caring look.

"Fine. Now, as for the Psychiatric Ward, I already spoke with Sean and I've agreed not to treat you there—unless you become combative and become a danger to me, yourself or anyone else. Instead, I'm going to treat you here for several days with medication and extensive psychotherapy. That therapy will include changing your thinking about everything that's happened and making you understand and believe that you're not responsible for everything that happened. You have to understand that you were as much a victim as your friends, if not more. And I know that it seems impossible now, but you will come to believe it for yourself." Dr. Gonzalez said somewhat sternly but compassionately, causing Danny to angrily wipe away the tears that escaped his eyes.

"Calm down, kiddo. You don't have to be so defensive. But even if you are, it doesn't matter, because we're not going to leave you alone." Jeff said caringly as he soothed Danny's head like a child, causing Danny to look at him like an angry child as he pouted and struggled not to cry.

"You're not getting rid of us that easily, you little runt. So, you can fight all you want." Jack said in a mock stern tone but with a small smile, causing Danny to pout more angrily as he desperately fought to keep himself from crying.

"Stop trying to fight it, sweetheart. It's okay to cry." Viv said soothingly as she swallowed softly and gently wiped the tears that escaped Danny's eyes but he pouted angrier.

All of a sudden, Martin stood between Danny and Dr. Gonzalez and didn't seem to give a damn if he was being rude. But Danny looked at him uncertain and somewhat frightened like a lost child as he pouted and shook a little, causing Martin to hold the back of Danny's head with one hand and whisper, inaudibly to anyone else, in Danny's ear.

No one knows what Martin said to him, but whatever it was, caused Danny to quietly cry furiously and extremely emotionally but like a child and angrily pull on Martin's shirt as he shook somewhat violently.

"Danny…" Dr. Gonzalez warned very sternly but couldn't continue when Martin quickly cut her off.

"Leave him alone. He's not going to hurt any of us. And he has just as much right as anyone else to get angry, without having to worry about you or anyone else threatening to lock him up in that shit-hole you call a Psych Ward." Martin said calmly but angrily as he embraced Danny protectively tight when Danny got angrier and nearly tore his shirt from pulling on it so angrily.

"Martin, what the hell did you say to him?" Jack said gruffly but concerned but Martin shook his head.

"That's no one's business except for Danny. So, I'm not answering your question, Jack." Martin said seriously and then held Danny tighter when Danny quietly cried like a furious child again but then let his body sag in defeat as he very quietly cried extremely emotionally but like a child.

"Shhh. It's okay. It's all right. I'm not saying one word." Martin said quietly as he swallowed hard and fresh tears escaped his eyes.

"Kiddo, I don't know what's going on, but you need to calm down and breathe. Come on. Your vitals are elevated and I don't want anything else to happen to you." Sean said caringly but Danny quietly cried angrier, causing Martin to shake him gently.

"Come on, buddy. You heard your brother. Take some slow breaths and calm down." Martin said caringly but it made Danny cry angrier.

"You're an asshole." Danny quietly cried angrily and extremely emotionally like a child, causing Martin to chuckle amused and gently squeeze his shoulder.

"Thank you." Martin chuckled amused as fresh tears escaped his eyes and he gently ruffled Danny's head. "But you still have to calm down and breathe. So, here, drink some water and calm down." He said, still chuckling softly, but Danny shook his head, causing Danny to quickly grab the cup of water offered when Martin whispered in his ear inaudibly. "I thought so. Just drink it slowly before you puke on me. Then, you'll really be sorry." Martin laughed amused, causing Danny to suddenly cover his face and quietly chuckle crying but he sounded like a child.

Everyone in the room stood looking on in shock at the interaction between Danny and Martin. Martin continued chuckling softly as Danny began slowly calming. But what no one could understand, was what Martin kept telling Danny, causing Martin to laugh hysterically after he whispered in Danny's ear and Danny's covered his furiously red face as he chuckled crying.

"Martin, what the hell is going on between you two? What are you telling him?" Sean said amused, causing Danny to suddenly become serious and stop laughing as he looked at Martin uncertain.

"Cut that out. I'm not saying anything." Martin laughed amused, causing Danny to pout but nod at him.

"That's what I want to hear from you, Danny. And that's what everyone here wants from you also. We want you to feel better again and get you back to one hundred percent. That's why me and all your friends are here and we're all going to help you." Dr. Gonzalez said compassionately as she smiled kindly but Danny suddenly pouted as his features creased angrily, causing him to look down and stop looking at her that way when Martin softly chuckled amused and elbowed him weakly. "Look, regardless of how you feel about me, Danny, I'm only here to help you feel better again. That's my job and I'm going to do it even if you try everything to push me away. So, give it up, sweetheart, because you're going to keep seeing my ugly mug everyday for a long while." Dr. Gonzalez said a bit sternly but kindly and then held out her hand to Danny, causing Danny to shake her hand halfheartedly but continue looking down when Martin weakly elbowed him.

"Well, I'm going to leave now and let you have some breakfast. I'll be back later to start on your therapy." Dr. Gonzalez said kindly and she bid farewell to everyone. "By the way, don't think for another second that you're going to keep avoiding your friend downstairs—Agent Spade. Sean and I already came to an agreement and you're going to go see her after breakfast." She said a bit sternly but compassionately, causing Danny to shake his head. "It's not your choice, Danny. It's part of your recovery and I'm therefore making it mandatory for you to go see her. So, when I come back to see you, I better hear that you went to talk to her. Excuse me." She said a bit sternly but kindly.

"Sean, don't give him any sedative for the pain. I want him completely lucid when I come back to see him. Are we clear on that?" Dr. Gonzalez said seriously but kindly and Sean nodded smiling. "Good. I'll be back at one." She said kindly as she wrote in Danny's chart and then left.

After she left, Danny's demeanor quickly changed. He became withdrawn and continued looking down. And he wouldn't look at anyone anymore, causing everyone to look at him sympathetically, when a knocked suddenly came to the door—it was a food service technician with Danny's breakfast. The technician set Danny's tray on the table in front of him and then left the room.

"Come on, kiddo. It's time for breakfast. You have to eat something." Sean said caringly as he uncovered Danny's meal but Danny shook his head.

"Do all of you mind giving me a few minutes with him alone? Please?" Martin said kindly but somewhat seriously and everyone nodded and left the room, causing Danny to immediately cry quietly as he covered his face with a shaking hand.

"Are you going to tell me why you're so upset? Or should I guess?" Martin said kindly but knowingly. "You're upset about that shrink making you see, Sam, aren't you? Why? She's been worried sick about you ever since you last talked to her because you told her that you were quitting." Martin said a bit seriously but compassionately as he sat on the bed in front of Danny.

"Damn it. I can't see her like that again, Fitzy. Her arms and hands are so bandaged that you can't even see her fingers and she's got bruises everywhere. She's like that because of me—because of me. And there's not a guarantee that she can ever work again. And that's all because of me." Danny quietly cried upset, causing Martin to look at him sternly and gently force Danny to look at him.

"Hello, it's nice to see you again, Ritchie. Do you remember me? Martin? You tried to kill me and the rest of my friends." Martin said sternly, causing Danny to growl crying angrily and glare viciously at Martin.

"Don't call me that, you asshole." Danny quietly cried angrily as he glared at Martin.

"Why shouldn't I call you Ritchie? After all, you're taking the blame for everything he did. So, why the hell should I call you Danny? Hmm? You're hiding from us, your family, your friends. You're running away because you're scared and you're still letting Ritchie control you and keeping you away from us even beyond death. Well, I got news for you, Danny. You're not going anywhere and neither are we. And as far as the situation with Sam is concerned, you already heard what Sean said. The surgeon told him that the surgery went well and that although she'd need physical therapy and she'd need to wear some special braces on her on hands, there was no permanent damage. So, she will be able to go back to work, Danny. And it's okay to feel bad about the way she looks now. It's hard for all of us to see her like that. But if there's one thing we all know, Danny, especially you, is that Sam's a fighter and she doesn't let anything stand in her way. Just like she didn't give up when Barry Mashburn shot her, she's not going to give up now. And neither are you. So, do you know what you're going to do?" Martin said a bit sternly but caringly, causing him to gently force Danny to look at him when Danny lowered and shook his head as he cried.

"You're going to eat your breakfast. And then afterwards, you're going to sit up straight, raise your head and you're going to go downstairs to talk to Sam. And it's okay if you cry. No one is going to stop you. And I know you think that Sam hates you but you're wrong. She loves you so much, brother—we all do. We're going to get through this together, Danny—all of us. And soon we'll see that old Danny we're all waiting to see, running around here trying to get with every hot nurse in this hospital—especially that hot little number, Nurse Vicky." Martin said caringly, causing him to chuckle amused when Danny laughed crying, but like a child, at his last comment.

All of a sudden, there was a soft knock at the door and it opened, causing Sean, Jack, Jeff and Viv to smile as they saw Danny giggling and crying as his face reddened furiously and Martin laughing right alongside him.

Danny and Martin finally calmed down but they continued smiling amused as their faces remained furiously red.

"All right, all right. Relax before you burst a vein or something." Martin chuckled amused, causing Danny to giggle crying again. "Come on, silly. Just calm down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold or before one of those greedy vultures comes in here trying to take it away." Martin said amused as he smiled at Danny, causing Martin to shake his head smiling when the others gave him a questioning look as they smiled.

Danny continued eating as the others talked. He finished eating thirty minutes later and the empty tray was taken away.

"Well, since you're all finished with breakfast, it's time to go downstairs to visit Sam, kiddo." Sean said fifteen minutes later as he came into the room with a wheelchair, causing Danny to look at him wearily. "You heard what Dr. Gonzalez said, munchkin. You don't have a choice. It's part of your treatment." Sean said caringly but Danny looked down.

Everyone watched Danny's demeanor change immediately with the news that he had to see Sam. But since the others didn't say anything to reassure Danny, Martin took the initiative. He immediately made Danny raise his head and sit up straight. Then, he whispered quietly in Danny's ear, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he nodded.

"Okay, let's go." Danny said softly as he looked up and tears escaped his eyes.

"Come on, munchkin. Everything is going to be okay." Sean said caringly and then led Danny away.

"Martin, what did you say to him?" Jeff asked suspiciously as he raised an eyebrow and then smiled.

"I didn't say anything to him." Martin said nonchalantly as he tried not to smile.

"Well, you must be telling him something because you're the only one who's been able to calm him down or make him laugh." Viv said with a devious smile and a raised eyebrow, casing Martin to redden furiously.

"I plead the fifth." Martin said laughing as his face reddened more, causing everyone to laugh more.

Jack, Jeff and Viv continued teasing Martin to cut down on the tension that everyone was feeling. But while they joked upstairs, Sean wheeled a nervous Danny to Sam's room.

"How long is she going to be here for?" Danny asked with a small voice.

"She's scheduled to be in the hospital for another week. If all goes well, she'll be released and she'll have to come in for physical therapy. And I know why you're scared but don't be, kiddo. Sam's going to be fine. And she'll be back at work in no time—just like you." Sean said caringly as he gently squeezed Danny's shoulder.

"Look, she's sleeping. Why don't we just come back some other time?" Danny said shaken.

"She's not sleeping, kiddo. She's trying to look at you." Sean said caringly as they looked at Sam through the window. "She's been asking about you. She's worried about you." Sean said caringly as Danny shook a little. "Are you ready to go in, munchkin?" Sean said gently but Danny shook his head and sniffled, causing Danny to flinch and gasp fearfully when someone grabbed his neck.

"Calm down, brother. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Martin said caringly.

"What are you doing here, Fitzy?" Danny said shaken.

"I came down here because I figured that you might get scared and try to back out from seeing sam. And it looks like I was right. But you can do this, Danny. Just remember what I told you and you'll be fine." Martin said caringly but with conviction as he gently squeezed danny's shoulder.

"I…okay." Danny said sniffling as he shook.

"Okay. But you have to calm down before you go in, all right?" Martin said caringly and then noticed that Sam was looking at them and trying to get up to move.

"Don't do that, sweetheart. Just relax and breathe, okay. Danny's coming in now. Just give him a minute." He said to Sam a bit sternly but caringly as he momentarily went into her and she nodded as she relaxed into the bed, causing Martin to return to Danny's side again.

"Is she okay, Fitzy?" Danny said sniffling emotionally.

"Yeah, kiddo, Sam's okay. She's just anxious to see you so she's trying to get up. So, how about you take a few breaths and calm down so that you can go in to see her?" Martin said caringly and Danny nodded and began taking slow breaths for a minute until he calmed down but continued shaking a bit.

"Are you ready to go in, munchkin?" Sean said caringly as he embraced Danny from behind, causing Danny to only nod because he didn't trust his voice. "Okay, munchkin. Come on." He said caringly and then led Danny into Sam's room. "Sam, you've got a visitor, sweetie." He said caringly as he wheeled Danny next to Sam.

"Danny." Sam cried softly but emotionally as she tried to move her arms to hug Danny but Danny shook his head.

"Shhh. Don't move, hot stuff. Stay still." Danny said caringly as his voice shook and he carefully hugged and kissed Sam, causing her to cry more and soothe Danny's face with her own.

"I'll leave you two alone. I'll be back, munchkin." Sean said caringly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head and then left the room.

"How did it go in there?" Martin said smiling softly.

"Okay, I think. But I am curious about one thing. What have you been saying to him and why have you been able to calm him down and make him laugh and not the rest of us?" Sean said curiously as he smiled and raised an eyebrow, causing Martin to chuckle softly.

"Like I told the others, I plead the fifth." Martin softly chuckled amused, causing Sean to chuckle amused.

"All right, I get it. It's only for you two. And I don't know what you said to him, but thank you." Sean said caringly as they looked through Sam's window and watched Danny still holding onto Sam as they both continued crying. "Come on. Let's go to the doctor's lounge and give them some privacy." Sean said caringly as he smiled and Martin smiled as they walked away.

_Back in Sam's Room…_

Danny continued holding on to Sam and they continued crying for fifteen minutes until they finally calmed down enough to talk.

"How are you feeling, hot stuff?" Danny sniffled softly but emotionally as he held Sam and laid his head next to hers, causing Sam to move into his touch.

"I'm still in pain, but it's not as bad as before because Sean has me on Morphine. And he already told me that I'm going to be okay and that I don't have permanent damage." Sam said softly as she sniffled and fresh tears escaped her eyes, causing Danny to softly kiss Sam repeatedly and carefully hold her tighter as he sniffled softly but emotionally and tears fell freely down his face. "What's wrong, Danny? Why are you crying like that?" Sam said softly but fearfully as her voice shook and she soothed Danny's face and head with her own.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. None of this would've happened to you if I had just done what Ritchie told me. If I hadn't of said anything to you guys, you wouldn't be laying here in this hospital bed without the temporary use of your arms, Martin wouldn't of been hurt and neither would have Viv. But I opened my big mouth and Ritchie came after all of you and Sean—my family, my friends." Danny cried softly but emotionally, causing Sam to soothe him again as she shook her head.

"See, sweetie? You just said it all by yourself. Ritchie came after us. Ritchie—even after you begged him not to. And you withstood his torture but you still didn't tell him a damn thing about where we were. The only reason he found out where we were is because he followed you. So, you had nothing to do with what happened to us and _**you**_**. **Yes, **you** Danny, because he hurt you worst of all, worse than any of us." Sam cried softly but with conviction.

"That's not…" Danny cried but couldn't continue when she cut him off.

"Don't say that it's not true, because it is, Danny. Ritchie tortured you endlessly for months. He didn't give a damn that he was hurting you—his childhood best friend. All he cared about was his stupid revenge for Sebastian's death—a death that Sebastian caused himself. You didn't kill him. He knew better and he made a choice. Sebastian made the choice to go to your house that night with a gun and you didn't have a choice. You didn't have a choice, Danny. It was either him or your dad and you made the right call. If none of that would've happened, we would've never met Danny Taylor. Danny Taylor who only worries about everyone else around him and is willing to sacrifice his own life for that of his family, his friends and even innocent victims who can't defend themselves. We also wouldn't have known the charming and delectable Danny Taylor who, with his charm, woos any woman he wants, including us girls at the office." Sam suddenly chuckled crying softly but amused, causing Danny to laugh crying and kiss her repeatedly as he held her tighter but carefully and softly soothed her head and face.

"Well, it's true. Danny, you have all women at FBI headquarters swooning over you trying to get at your cute little butt." Sam teased as she chuckled crying, causing Danny to laugh crying very amused. "I'm glad to see you laughing again, Danny. That's what we want from you. We want this old Danny back—not the sad version of you who keeps running away from us." Sam said softly but soothingly as tears stained her face and she soothed and kissed Danny's face with her own, causing Danny to softly cry emotionally and hide his face on the bed. "Don't do that, sweetie. Look at me. I want to see your face, not your head." She softly cried sternly but caringly and Danny looked at her. "Why do you keep trying to run away from us?" Sam cried sternly but caringly.

"You don't understand, Sam. I feel so horrible about everything that's happened, especially after what I almost did." Danny cried softly but regretfully, causing Sam to sigh heavily and lean her head in his.

"Are you talking about what happened at the cemetery when you saw that video that that sick son of a bitch left you, telling you that he killed your father? I know, Danny. Sean and Martin told me everything. Who's for sure to say how any of us would've reacted if we had been put in that same situation, Danny? So, stop feeling bad about that and let us help you." Sam cried soothingly, causing Danny to softly cry very emotionally like a child.

"Why won't you guys hate me, even when I try everything to push you away?" Danny cried softly but very emotionally like a child as he continued holding Sam, causing Sam to kiss him repeatedly.

"Don't you dare ever say that again, Danny. You can keep being a pain in the ass to try to push us away but you'll just be wasting your time because we're going to keep coming after you, silly. Besides, who's going to be angry at gorgeous eye candy like you with those cute, pouty lips, that shaggy dog hairdo and that tight little butt?" Sam cried smiling as she raised an eyebrow and pretended to look at Danny's backside, causing Danny to laugh crying very amused as he held her.

"Enjoying the view?" Danny teased as he laughed crying and Sam nodded, causing him to laugh more and finally stop crying.

"So, Sean already told me that there's a doctor taking care of you, Dr. Gonzalez, the headshrinker." Sam said caringly and Danny nodded as he made a distasteful face.

"I don't like her. If she weren't a woman, I would've decked her. She told Sean that she was going to put me in a damn nuthouse because I was a danger to everyone and myself." Danny said angrily but like a child as he sniffled.

"We know that that's not true. Besides, Sean would never let that happen after everything that he went through to find you. And I know that you hate her, but you have to promise me that you're going to talk to her and let her do everything she can, to help you." Sam said caringly.

"But…" Danny tried crossly but couldn't continue when Sam cut him off.

"Promise me, Danny. I know that she made you mad by saying that. But the truth is that if you give her a chance, you're going to like her and that she's going to help you so much, just like us. So, I want your word right now that you're going to let the shrink help you and you're going to stop running away from us, your family. And more importantly, I want your word that you'll never, ever try to take your life again no matter how grim things feel and look to you. Because no matter how horrible you feel, we'd feel a thousand times worse if we ever lost you. You're never alone. You've got Sean and all of us. Do you understand me, Special Agent Danny Taylor? Now, promise me." Sam cried caringly but with conviction as she laid her head on Danny's, causing Danny to cry quietly but extremely emotionally as he shook.

"I promise." Danny quietly cried extremely emotionally as he shook and held on to Sam carefully, but for dear life, causing Sam to cry as she kissed Danny repeatedly.

Danny and Sam weren't aware that there were tear-stained visitors staring back at them from outside Sam's window. Sean, Martin, Jack, Jeff and Viv were standing there crying as they looked at the interaction between Danny and Sam.

"Do you think we're going to get our old Danny back now?" Martin softly cried smiling amused as he sniffled and wiped away his tears.

"Definitely!" They all said.

"Our little Danny definitely needed to see Sam. I know that it's not going to be easy—it's going to be hard and it's going to seem impossible at times, that we're going to get Danny through this. But we're not going to give up on the little guy. We're going to get him back to his old, cocky self again. Are you with me?" Sean cried smiling as he held his hand out and everyone grabbed a tight hold of it.

"You bet your ass. That pointy-eared little freak isn't going to leave us high and dry—especially not after he's left this big ass bald spot on the top of my head from making me worry so much about him." Jack laughed amused as tears stained his face and he pointed to the top of his head, causing everyone to laugh loudly and very amused.

That laughter cut Danny and Sam's affection short, causing them to laugh crying when they saw everyone at the window staring back at them. They immediately signaled to them and they came inside Sam's room.

"Come here, you pointy-eared, little freak. This is all your fault." Jack said in a mock stern tone as he smiled and pointed to the top of his head again as tears stained his face and everyone took a tight but careful hold of Danny, causing everyone—including Danny and Sam—to laugh loudly and very amused. "You skinny ass isn't going anywhere, except back to your desk at FBI Headquarters as soon as you recover. And don't think for a minute that I'm going to take it easy on you, Junior. You're going to get what's coming to you for making me go bald." Jack said a mock stern tone and then laughed when Danny laughed crying and held everyone tightly as he nodded his head nonstop.

The team continued together like that for fifteen minutes until they finally released Danny—except Sean who continued holding Danny.

"Feeling better, little brother?" Sean said smiling and Danny softly pouted smiling as he lay his tired head on Sean. "Don't worry. Dr. Gonzalez and all of us are going to help you feel good again. I promise." Sean said caringly but then Danny quietly growled annoyed as he pouted more, causing Sean to chuckle amused. "Let me guess. You don't like her and you don't want to talk to her after she was a cold-hearted bitch to you and wanted to lock you away in the psych ward." Sean chuckled amused when Danny growled again. "I understand you completely, kiddo. Believe me." Sean chuckled amused.

"What are you talking about?" Danny said crossly but caringly.

"How do you think I felt about her when I met her? I was in worse shape than you are now, after Ritchie left me for dead and I woke up here in the hospital. I was so out of control that she actually put me in the psych ward for three months and I hated her more than anything. But eventually I stopped being a mean prick towards her and let her helped me. She was a tough S.O.B with me at first but she got me through the worst time of my life and she's been a good friend ever since that. So, I want you to promise me that even though she's a harsh S.O.B. with you now that you're going to open up to her and let her help you." Sean said smiling softly as he soothed and kissed Danny's head.

"I know that you guys want the old Danny back. But I don't think I can do it alone." Danny said softly as fresh tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to hold his hand in a tight, brotherhood grip.

"Who the hell told you that you were alone? We're going to be here with you always to give you a good kick in the pants whenever you need it. Now, promise that you're going to let the evil headshrinker help you and us too. Promise or I'll kick your butt hard right now." Martin said seriously but caringly as he smiled, causing Danny to laugh crying and nod.

"I promise, Fitzy." Danny laughed crying as he sniffled.

"Damn. And we were all ready to give him a good kick in the pants right now." Jeff said crossly as he smiled and ruffled Danny's head, causing Danny to laugh more.

"Thank you." Danny suddenly cried softly but emotionally as he covered his face, causing everyone to hold on to him.

Although they all knew that the coming days, weeks and months were going to be incredibly difficult, they were glad that they would at least face it together as friends, as family—whatever adversity they were to be faced with.

--

A/N—Will the team finally be able to get Danny out of the dark abyss that has entrapped his mind and spirit? Find out next time on the upcoming finale of this story.


	21. Chapter 21

Slipping Into Darkness

**Disclaimer:** As much as I love the show and its characters, I do not own any part of it. Without A Trace belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS. Only the characters that I created are mine. So, please don't sue.

**Author's Note: **I want to thank everyone who read this story and those of you who left reviews. You kept this story alive when I had doubts on continuing it. Anyway, I owe a special thanks to Ukeleleboy and Anmodo for their help and feedback with this fic. I hope all of you have enjoyed this story. This is the final chapter. So, enjoy.

_**Previously on Slipping Into Darkness: **_"I know that you guys want the old Danny back. But I don't think I can do it alone." Danny said softly as fresh tears escaped his eyes, causing Martin to hold his hand in a tight, brotherhood grip.

"Who the hell told you that you were alone? We're going to be here with you always to give you a good kick in the pants whenever you need it. Now, promise that you're going to let the evil headshrinker help you and us too. Promise or I'll kick your butt hard right now." Martin said seriously but caringly as he smiled, causing Danny to laugh crying and nod.

"I promise, Fitzy." Danny laughed crying as he sniffled.

"Damn. And we were all ready to give him a good kick in the pants right now." Jeff said crossly as he smiled and ruffled Danny's head, causing Danny to laugh more.

"Thank you." Danny suddenly cried softly but emotionally as he covered his face, causing everyone to hold on to him.

Although they all knew that the coming days, weeks and months were going to be incredibly difficult, they were glad that they would at least face it together as friends, as family—whatever adversity they were to be faced with.

Chapter 21

_6 Weeks Later..._

A difficult six weeks had passed since Danny entered the hospital. During this time, he had several breakdowns and at some point everyone thought that they were going to lose him once and for all. But they refused to give up on Danny, especially after everything that they had been through. They showed Danny all the love, compassion and patience that he needed. But they were also stern with him when Danny tried turning away from them.

Danny opened up to the psychiatrist, Dr. Gonzalez and through medications and extensive therapy, Danny was finally able to realize and believe that what happened to everyone, hadn't been his fault. After six weeks, he was finally being released from the hospital. But it wasn't as happy a moment as Danny would've hoped for.

_Danny's Hospital Room..._

_Monday Morning, 9 A.M._

Danny was anxiously sitting up in bed awaiting his release when Nurse Vicky entered the room with a smile.

"Good morning, Danny. Are you ready to finally get out of here and go home to your own bed?" Nurse Vicky said smiling kindly and then put on gloves.

"I'm dying to get out of here. You guys have been great to me, but I'm tired of being inside these four walls. I'm starting to feel like a cat climbing the walls." Danny said smiling softly, causing Nurse Vicky to smile warmly at him. "Where's Sean? Is he coming to sign my release papers?" He said a bit nervously as he bit his lower lips.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. But Sean and Dr. Foster are in surgery and they can't be here now. But they both signed off on your chart and told me to come fix you up and let you go." Nurse Vicky said caringly as she gently removed Danny's IV and monitors and bandaged his hand.

"Oh. Okay. I understand." Danny said softly but Nurse Vicky noticed the hurt in his voice as she examined his vitals.

"What about your friends, Danny? Are they coming to pick you up?" Nurse Vicky said caringly as she continued checking his vitals and then wrote in his chart.

"I don't think so. I tried calling them but none of them answer their phones. They're probably busy working on a case." Danny said smiling softly as he tried to hide the pain from his voice.

"Well, you're all ready to go. And unfortunately, I don't know how long your brother's going to be in surgery. But you probably want to get out of here and go home, right?" Nurse Vicky said caringly as she smiled and Danny nodded smiling as his cheeks reddened furiously, causing Nurse Vicky to chuckle softly and gently ruffle his head. "Well then, would you like me to call a cab for you?" She said kindly.

"Sure. Thank you." Danny said smiling softly.

"No problem, sweetie. Get dressed, get your things ready and in the meantime, I'll call you a cab." Nurse Vicky said kindly and then left the room, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he got dressed in his blue jeans, white shirt and tennis shoes.

"_Keep it together, Danny. Don't let it bother you._" He silently told himself as he dried his tears and sniffled, but the fact was that he felt hurt that no one was there for him to see him off.

"Danny, sweetie, the cab is ready for you downstairs." Nurse Vicky said kindly as she smiled warmly and brought in a wheelchair.

"What's that for? I can walk." Danny pouted softly as he smiled, causing Nurse Vicky to softly chuckle amused.

"I don't think so, sweetie. You know hospital policy. We don't want you falling on that pretty face and getting hurt again. Now, come on. You're coming downstairs with me and I'm going to put you in the cab myself. Besides, I want to see those buns of yours finally walking out of here." Nurse Vicky said smiling amused, causing Danny to redden furiously and chuckle amused as he sat on the wheelchair and she led him downstairs to an awaiting cab. "Well, come on. Don't make a girl wait any longer." Nurse Vicky said with a devious smile and Danny stood up, smiling embarrassed, causing Nurse Vicky to whistle. "Mm-mm-mm. Those nice buns were worth the wait, honey." She said smiling, causing Danny to laugh hysterically as his face reddened furiously and he hugged her.

"Thank you for everything, Vicky." Danny said smiling as he hugged and kissed Nurse Vicky, causing her to do the same.

"It was my pleasure, sweetie. I was only doing my job. Take care." Nurse Vicky said smiling and helped Danny into the cab and closed the door.

"Thanks, bye." Danny said smiling and the cabby drove away.

"Where to, boss?" The cabby said with a kind smile, causing Danny to sigh softly but heavily.

"Flower shop and Shady Meadows Cemetery." Danny said with a soft but heavy sigh.

"You got it, boss." The cabby said kindly and then drove away, causing him to arrive at 'Shady Meadows Cemetery' twenty minutes later. "Do you want me to wait?" He said kindly.

"Yeah, thanks." Danny said softly as he got out the car and went to his father's gravesite with two dozen white roses, causing tears to escape his eyes as he put the flowers in the memorial vase and kneeled on the floor.

Danny knelt on the ground for five minutes crying softly as he thought silently and then blessed himself as he stood up.

"Goodbye, dad. You'll always be in my heart and in my mind." Danny cried softly and then left.

"Where to, boss?" The cabby said kindly.

"Home." Danny said softly and then gave the cabby his address, causing the cabby to arrive at Danny's house twenty minutes later. "Here you go. Thanks a lot. Have a good one." Danny said kindly as he handed the cabby one hundred dollars although his fare was only thirty.

"Thanks, boss, you too." The cabby said kindly and drove away and Danny went inside, causing the cabby to suddenly pick up his phone and dial a number. "Yeah. The little bird just flew into the cuckoo's cage. Yeah. All right. Got it, boss." He said seriously and then sneered as he ended the call. "You'll get what's coming to you, pal." The cabby said with a sneer and then drove away.

_Back In Danny's Apartment..._

Danny set his keys on the coffee table and sighed heavily as tears escaped his eyes.

"Welcome home, Danny. Welcome home." Danny said softly with a heavy sigh as more tears escaped his eyes and he lay on his couch, giving some much needed rest to his aching heart as he gave in to sleep.

Danny had been sleeping for an hour, when there was a knock at the door, causing him to get up and open it—it was Martin.

"What are you doing here, Martin? Shouldn't you be at work finding missing persons?" Danny said tiredly but also somewhat angrily out of hurt, causing Martin to look at him concerned.

"Are you okay, buddy? I've been calling you for an hour but you haven't answered your phone." Martin said kindly but concerned.

"I'm fine. I was just sleeping. You can go back to work now." Danny said seriously out of hurt.

"Come on. Stop being so grumpy, Danny. I came to pick you up so that we can go out. I got tickets to see a movie, the basketball game and then tonight, a music concert. And I want you to come with me. So, get up, take a shower and get dressed. Come on. I won't take no for an answer." Martin said kindly but Danny shook his head.

"What are you even doing here, Martin? Go back to work." Danny pouted grumpily but like a child.

"Am I missing something? Why are you grumpy, brother?" Martin said caringly but concerned.

"I'm not grumpy, just tired." Danny said softly.

"Come on. Jack gave me the day off so that I could take you out as congratulations for finally getting out of the hospital. He was sorry that he couldn't meet you at the hospital but they're all working on a big case at the office." Martin said caringly but also concerned at Danny's reactions.

"What, that? Please, I didn't even notice. That hot Nurse Vicky called me a cab anyway. Besides, it's not like I was actually expecting anyone there today. Remember, it's Monday and everyone always works Mondays. So, it's no big deal." Danny said nonchalantly but Martin could clearly hear the mild bitterness and hurt in his voice.

"Come on, Danny. It's not like that. Everyone wanted to go to the hospital but those pricks in Washington said that the case was 'Top Priority' and that everyone had to work on it. Now, what about Sean? Didn't he talk to you before you left the hospital?" Martin said caringly but Danny shook his head.

"No. Sean and his dad are in surgery and they didn't know how long they're going to be in there, so they signed off on my paperwork and told Nurse Vicky to let me go." Danny said nonchalantly although Martin once again noticed the hurt in his voice.

"Well, come on. Let's find you some decent clothes to wear so that we can get out of here and enjoy the rest of the day." Martin said caringly and then led Danny to his room.

"What are you doing, Martin? I didn't say that I was going with you. I'm tired and staying here to get some rest. So, go back to work." Danny said crossly as Martin searched through his closet.

"Wrong answer, brother. You've been trapped in that stupid hospital long enough and now you're going to face the world again. You don't have a choice. Remember what Dr. Gonzalez told you. You're not allowed to mope around in these walls. So, you can forget about staying here alone." Martin said somewhat sternly but caringly as he carefully laid out an expensive, elegant black suit, white shirt and a blue silk tie on Danny's bed.

"What's with the penguin suit, Martin? I told you that I'm not going." Danny said somewhat angrily and then Martin began looking through his closet again.

"And I already told you that you're getting out of here. Now, stop being so grumpy." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly as he gave Danny a clean pair of black jeans, a white shirt and his black leather jacket. "You can wear this for now and get your own underwear. And the suit's for the concert later tonight. So, get moving" Martin said a bit sternly but caringly as he handed Danny his clothes.

"What am I, a five year old who doesn't know how to get dressed?" Danny said crossly as he tried to keep his anger under control.

"That's what you're acting like. Now, go get in the shower because we have a long drive. The movie theater's almost two hours away, so get moving. I'll be back in ten minutes. I'm going to go grab us some breakfast because you probably haven't eaten. But I expect you in that shower when I get back here. And don't think about locking yourself in here because I have a spare, remember. And it's either going out or I can call Dr. Gonzalez and tell her that you're isolating yourself again from everyone. Now, I know that you don't want that, so get in the shower. I'll be right back." Martin said a bit sternly but caringly and then left the apartment.

"Fucking asshole. Who the hell does Martin think he is? He had the damn day off and didn't bother to at least pick me up at the hospital. And now he comes in here trying to tell me what to do and how to dress and threatening to call that stupid headshrinker." Danny said to himself angrily as he got his underwear and got in the shower. "Asshole." Danny said like an angry child and then began showering.

Once outside Danny's apartment building, Martin got in his car and drove away, causing him to immediately grab his cell phone and start dialing.

"Hey, it's Martin. No, I left him back in the apartment while I get him some breakfast. No, but he's obviously pissed off and hurt that no one bothered to go to the hospital today. Yeah. All right, tonight at seven. No, he doesn't suspect anything. Got it. All right. Bye." Martin said seriously as he wrote an address down on a notepad and then ended the call. "You deserve what's coming to you, brother." Martin said seriously and continued driving towards the bakery, causing him to return to Danny's apartment fifteen minutes later.

Danny had taken a shower and gotten dressed. But now, he sat on his bed, with his back to the door, crying quietly as he held his head in his hands—unaware that there was a silent observer standing at the door and looking as he swallowed softly but hard.

"Danny?" Martin said gently and with a soft, heavy sigh as he gently squeezed Danny's shoulder, causing Danny to immediately stop crying, wipe his face and pretend that there was absolutely nothing wrong with him—but it was too late because his best friend had already heard his cries.

"Let's go, I'm ready." Danny said quickly as if there were nothing wrong with him, causing Martin to gently squeeze his shoulder and shake his head.

"You don't have to hide from me, buddy. You can cry all you want if it'll help you feel better. But, come on. I got breakfast for us and then we can leave after we both eat." Martin said caringly and then led Danny to the kitchen table where they began eating sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches, assorted sweet pastries and drinking plenty of hot coffee. "Are you ready to get out of here, brother?" Martin said kindly as he cleared the table thirty minutes later.

"Do I have a choice?" Danny said crossly but defeated and Martin shook his head.

"No, you don't. Just go grab your suit and we'll change after the game." Martin said kindly and Danny went to the room and came back out with his suit and dress shoes. "First, we're going to head to the movies and then the basketball game." Martin said kindly.

"It's not like I really want to go. But I don't need you calling that stupid headshrinker. So, let's go." Danny said crossly, causing Martin to chuckle softly and they left the apartment.

"Why don't you try to enjoy yourself, Danny, instead of sulking? You've been trapped in that hospital for six weeks—albeit with gorgeous nurses all around tending to your every need." Martin said amused, causing Danny to suddenly redden and giggle very amused and embarrassed.

"Those nurses were hot." Danny chuckled amused, causing Martin to laugh as he started the car and they drove away.

During the two hour car drive, Danny and Martin joked around like the old days and Martin enjoyed teasing Danny about Nurse Vicky's special attentions towards him—the kisses, the special treatment, always tending to him like a child whenever he'd awaken in the middle of the night screaming, crying and becoming physically sick because of his nightmares. But neither man mentioned how hurt, angry and alone Danny felt.

Martin and Danny arrived at the movies and remained there for two and half hours. They watched a comedy and Danny laughed so much that he ended up spitting soda out of his nose and onto his shirt, causing Martin to laugh hysterically as Danny continued laughing anyway and just zipped up his leather jacket and then drove away after they got in the car.

"Don't you think that you should take me back home now? I can't go around with dirty clothes. How do you expect me to woo all the beautiful ladies off of their pretty little feet?" Danny said with a devious smile as he wiggled his eyes, causing Martin to laugh very amused.

"Down, boy, or do you need a cold shower?" Martin teased laughing as he drove. "Besides, you're not getting out of going to the game with me that easily. Or do you really want Jack to kick my ass for letting you go back to your apartment alone?" Martin said with a devious smile and a raised eyebrow, causing Danny to soothe his chin and pretend that he was deeply thinking of a reply to Martin's query.

"Hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I think I'd rather let Jack kick your ass." Danny said in a mock serious tone, causing Danny to laugh very amused when Martin mock gasped in shock and then laughed hysterically but then Danny suddenly became serious again and sighed softly but heavily.

"You all right? What's wrong?" Martin said kindly although he knew all too clearly.

"Nothing, I'm fine. So, what is the team working on back at the office?" Danny said calmly as he tried not letting the hurt show in his voice.

"All I know is that it's a high-profile kidnapping and that the pricks in Washington say that it's 'Top Priority' and that everyone has to work on it. But Jack wouldn't tell me anything else. He just told me to take the day off and get you out of that apartment of yours." Martin said kindly.

"But I thought that he gave you the tickets. If you didn't go to work today…" Danny said confused but Martin quickly cut him off.

"I did go to the office this morning. But when I got up there, Jack called me into his office and told me to just take the day off and get you out of the apartment. He said that he had enough manpower at his disposal and that me taking off for the day wouldn't be a problem. So, he gave me the tickets and I took off. Then, I headed to your apartment and here we are." Martin said kindly but Danny looked at him somewhat angrily as he struggled to keep his anger at bay after hearing Martin's words.

If Danny was feeling angry and hurt before, he was feeling worse now. He was so angry and hurt that he just wanted to hit the closest target near him and it was Martin.

"What?" Martin said concerned when he noticed the boiling anger and hurt in Danny's eyes.

"Nothing." Danny said seriously as he hid his hand and fisted it tightly until it hurt. "_What a freaking asshole. Knowing him, he probably got to the damn office real early in the morning. Selfish bastard. He didn't have a damn ounce of decency to pick the damn phone up when I called him from the hospital. Well, screw him and the others too. I don't need anyone." _Danny silently fumed and he was so heated out of hurt that he couldn't stop his face from turning furiously red and neither could he stop the tears that escaped his eyes—which he angrily wiped away.

"Danny, calm down. What's wrong?" Martin said concerned as he pulled into an empty parking lot and turned off the car.

"I said I'm fine." Danny said seriously through gritted teeth, causing Martin to sigh heavily when he saw the look of betrayal, hurt and anger in Danny's eyes and saw how tightly Danny's hand was fisted beside him. "Look, just take me back home or I'll go back walking. I'm not going to any game." Danny said calmly but through gritted teeth but Martin shook his head.

Martin sighed heavily as he saw Danny's reaction. He knew that Danny was angry and hurt because no one had been there for him when he left the hospital. And although he couldn't tell Danny the real reason for his absence, maybe he could calm him down.

"Danny, I know that you're probably pissed at me and everyone else for not meeting you at the hospital. And you have every right to be. But just because we couldn't be there, that doesn't mean that we forgot about you, brother. That could never happen, especially after everything that's happened. And the others even promised that all of us are going to get together after they're finished with the case. Okay?" Martin said caringly.

"Really? That's fantastic! Thank you so much!" Danny said sarcastically, causing Martin to chuckle softly. "Now, take me home or I'm walking. I'm tired and I want to go home." He said crossly but bitterness was clearly evident in his voice.

"I'm not taking you back home, Danny. Look, I know that you're hurting right now and even angry, but all I'm asking you to do now is to trust me, okay? Trust, that's all I want from you now, brother. Now, are you going to trust me from now on, or are you going to keep pouting like a spoiled little boy? By the way, you're not hitting this pretty face. So, if you still want to hit something, let me know so that I can take you to a boxing ring right now and let you duke it out with somebody there." Martin suddenly said crossly but caringly, causing him to chuckle amused when Danny suddenly chuckled softly but incredulously.

"You're an idiot." Danny softly chuckled incredulously but also amused and then sighed heavily. "You could've at least picked up the phone when I called you this morning from the hospital. All you had to tell me was that you couldn't or _**didn't **_want to pick me up." Danny suddenly said softly but Martin looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about? You called me this morning?" Martin said confused but Danny looked at him crossly. "No, I'm serious. If you did, I didn't get your call. I'm really sorry, Danny. This stupid phone's a piece of crap. It's been dropping my calls and it shuts off by itself and then other times, the call won't even come through. See for yourself. I don't have any calls from the hospital. Look." Martin said, hoping to sound sincerely regretful although the truth was that had indeed received Danny's call and deleted it.

"Fine. You didn't get my call. It doesn't matter anymore anyway." Danny said softly as he returned Martin's phone to him. "Look, just forget about the game and the concert tonight. My head's not in the mood for all that noise anyway. And if you're worried about Jack, don't be. You can tell him that I spent the entire day with you at the movies, the game and the concert. So, you're off the hook. Now, please take me back home." Danny said softly as he soothed his pained head but Martin shook his head.

"Here. I thought that you might these. I swiped them from your apartment before we left." Martin said caringly as he handed Danny a bottle of water, a chewy granola bar and his pain medication, causing Danny to gladly eat and drink the items offered. "If you want, you can sleep for a little while, all right. We've still got a forty-five minute drive to the game. Go ahead. I'll wake you up before we get there. By the way, we're sitting in the skybox." Martin suddenly said with a devious grin, causing Danny to suddenly raise an eyebrow.

"Who did Jack have to kill to get those tickets?" Danny said crossly as he smiled and raised an eyebrow, causing Martin to laugh amused and shake his head as he started the car and drove away. "Wake me up." He said yawning and then put his seat to recline a bit, causing Danny to give in to complete darkness five minutes later.

"_I'm sorry, kiddo, but you deserve what's coming to you." _Martin thought silently as he looked at Danny momentarily and then continued driving towards their second destination. "Hey, Danny, Kiddo, wake up." He said as he parked the car in the basketball game's parking lot but Danny wouldn't wake up, causing Martin to worry. "Danny. Danny, wake up. Come on, we're here." He said a bit panicked when Danny still wouldn't wake up as he shook him a bit roughly, causing Martin to shakily check for a pulse and found a fast one. "Danny. Damn it. Wake up." He said shaken as he shook Danny roughly, causing Danny to gasp fearfully as he awakened.

"What happened?" Danny gasped shaken as his hands shook and he tried to breathe.

"Didn't you hear me calling you? Damn it. You scared the hell out of me, Danny. I couldn't wake you up. Don't do that again." Martin said very shaken, causing Martin's phone to suddenly ring and he answered it. "Hello?" He said shaken. "No, I'm fine. It's just that Danny just gave me a hell of a scare because I couldn't wake him up. No, he's all right now, awake. Yeah, we just got here. I understand. Okay, bye." Martin said still a bit shaken.

"Who was that?" Danny said confused as he finally managed to calm down and breathe normally.

"That was Jack. He wanted to find out if I had taken you away from your apartment. But he bit my head off because I let you go to sleep. Now, what the hell happened? I couldn't wake you. You scared the crap out of me." Martin said crossly but caringly.

"I'm sorry. I guess I was just tired. It's probably just the meds anyway." Danny said with a yawn.

"Well, come on. We're here already." Martin said a bit concerned as they got out of the car. "Are you sure that you're okay?" He said caringly but concerned but Danny nodded.

"I'm okay, Fitzy. I just fell asleep. Relax, all right." He said caringly and they continued.

"That's easy for you to say. Jack just chewed my ass off for not taking better care of you. Come on." Martin said crossly but caringly and they went inside to the game.

Martin led Danny through the crowd and got him upstairs to the skybox. Although Danny figured that he wouldn't enjoy himself, Danny actually had a great time cheering on his team along with Martin as they ate free food and non-alcoholic beverages although there was plenty of booze. After three hours, the game finally finished and Danny and Martin left, finally getting to the car after fifteen minutes.

"Now, are you taking me back home, Fitzy? Come on. I'm completely exhausted." Danny said yawning.

"What? Didn't you enjoy your day, being out of your apartment all day?" Martin said chuckling amused when Danny yawned again.

"Honestly, yeah. I enjoyed today more than I thought I would. It's been a long while since I enjoyed anything." Danny said with a yawn. "Now, will you take me home?" He said with a very loud yawn, causing Martin to softly laugh amused.

"Sorry, buddy, but I'm not taking you home yet. Right now, we have to go to my house so that we can change for the concert. But we have to change quickly because the concert's at eight and it's already six forty-five." Martin said a bit nervously as he looked at his watch, causing them to arrive at Martin's apartment thirty minutes later.

"Where exactly are we going, Martin?" Danny said confused as they made it up to Martin's apartment.

"We're going to the Performing Arts Center. You can take a quick shower if you want, to get that soda off. There are clean towels in the bathroom cabinet or anything else you might need." Martin chuckled, causing Danny to chuckle amused as he left to take a quick shower.

Fifteen minutes later, both men were dressed in elegant black suits and heading out the door.

"Come on. Damn it." Martin said frustrated as they sat stuck in traffic fifteen minutes later, causing Danny to laugh amused. "It's not funny, you little twerp. We have to be at the Performing Arts Center before seven." Martin said crossly but his attitude only made Danny laugh more.

"You're so anal. Who cares if we get there a few minutes late? It's not like…" Danny laughed very amused but stopped talking and laughed hysterically when Martin gave him a dirty look and growled at him a bit.

All of a sudden, Martin's phone shrilled loudly and he swore when he saw who was calling, before he answered it.

"Hello?" Martin said somewhat cowardly as he made a face and held the phone away from ear when someone was yelling loudly. "Damn it. I know. But it's not my fault. We're stuck in traffic fifteen minutes away. What, are you nuts? All right. All right, fine." He said frustrated and then ended the call.

"Who was that?" Danny chuckled amused.

"That was Jack. He's at the concert already and is about ready to kick my ass if I don't get there in five minutes." Martin said crossly, causing Danny to laugh hysterically.

"Well, get ready to have your ass kicked because there's no way in hell that we're going to make it over there in five minutes." Danny laughed amused but Martin raised an eyebrow at him and gave him a devious look as he put on his seatbelt.

"Really, you think so? Get real. Put your seatbelt on. Jack told me to use the lights and siren and get my ass over there now. Let's go." Martin said with a devious grin and then immediately turned on the lights and sirens, causing him to drive through the traffic as the other cars scattered to move.

Martin continued driving wildly through the streets with the lights and sirens until he reached their destination. The center was completely packed. There were so many people that Danny felt a bit panicked although on the outside, he laughed at Martin's expense. But the truth was, that after everything that had happened, Danny was actually anxious of the large crowds.

"Are you okay?" Martin said kindly as he smiled but Danny just smiled from ear to ear and nodded without saying a word, causing Martin to notice how tightly Danny was clenching his teeth. "All right, what's wrong? Talk to me, brother." Martin said caringly as he turned off the car in the parking space, but Danny shook his head.

"What? I'm fine." Danny said smiling as he smiled shakily, causing him to flinch and gasp as someone banged loudly on his window—it was Jack, causing him to open the door. "Hey, Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you were a grumpy old workaholic with a bad knee who didn't like to have a good time?" Danny said amused as his cheeks reddened, causing Jack to look at him sternly but then he and Martin both burst into hysterical laughter.

"I may be a grumpy workaholic with a bad knee, but I can still kick your butt any day of the week, junior." Jack said laughing, causing Danny to laugh amused and redden furiously to hide how shaken he was. "Now, are you okay? I saw your reaction when I knocked on your window. Danny, you're okay. You're safe now, all right. No one's ever going to hurt you again while we're around. You know that, don't you?" Jack said caringly as he fixed Danny's tie and crumpled suit.

"Sorry, Jack. I know that, really. But it's not easy being here after everything that's happened, especially with all these people. And speaking of people, what kind of freaking concert is this? Look at this, it's ridiculous. We're jam-packed here like a can of sardines. Why don't we just ditch this place and go somewhere else?" Danny said crossly as he tried to open the car door but Martin quickly locked it electronically, causing Jack and Martin to laugh loudly and very amused as they led him away from the car.

"Come on, Sparky. We're not going anywhere, except inside to that concert." Jack laughed amused as they led Danny inside, causing everyone to talk amongst themselves as they looked at Danny, Jack and Martin. "Come on. Just keep walking. You're fine." Jack said smiling when Danny became a bit stiff and felt like he couldn't move.

"What the hell's going on here? Why is everyone looking at us like that?" Danny said untrustingly as he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Damn, Danny, relax before you get sick or pass out. Look at you." Martin said smiling but also concerned as Danny went a bit pale and began sweating as he grabbed his stomach. "Whoa. Take it easy." Martin said nervously as he and Jack grabbed a hold of a now completely pale Danny.

"Jack, help me get him to the bathroom fast before he pukes on everyone here." Martin said very concerned and they quickly led Danny to the bathroom, just in time, causing Danny to immediately begin vomiting three times until his nerves finally calmed down.

"Are you okay? Try to relax and have fun today, Sparky. And stop being so damn paranoid. There's nothing going on. It's just a concert." Jack said crossly as they helped a shaking Danny clean up.

All of a sudden, the bathroom door opened and in came Sean, Danny's brother, causing Danny to shake his head.

"No, that's enough. Now, you're here too? What the hell is going on here?" Danny said frustrated.

"Calm down, kiddo. Jack got tickets for everyone to come to the concert tonight. Everyone's out there—Sam, Viv, Jeff, my dad and even my hot-looking girlfriend whom I want you to meet. Now, tell me. Are you okay, or do I need to send for an ambulance to get you out of here? Hmm?" Sean said caringly but concerned as he checked Danny's vitals, causing Danny to fearfully shake his head.

"No, I'm fine. I promise. I've just been holding that back all day. But I'm fine now. I swear." Danny said quickly.

"Okay. But I'm going to be keeping my eye on you, kiddo. Come on. Let's get you out of here and take you to see the others." Sean said smiling softly as he fixed Danny's rumpled clothing and they led him away from the bathroom.

"Good evening, gorgeous." Nurse Vicky said smiling foolishly as she hugged and kissed Danny and he did the same.

"Vicky? What are you doing here?" Danny said kindly but confused as he hugged and kissed her, causing everyone to laugh amused.

"Danny, this is my girlfriend and soon to be wife, Vicky." Sean said amused, causing everyone to laugh very amused at Danny's shocked look. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend. We've been together for two years but I couldn't tell you that before because it's against policy to fraternize on the job." Sean chuckled amused, causing Danny to softly gasp shocked and smiled.

"No wonder you were so nice to me and took care of me even on your days off. You were trying to suck up to me because you're taking my little brother away from me." Danny teased smiling but his smile made him look like a little boy, causing everyone to laugh very amused and ruffle his head.

"The show will commence in ten minutes, ladies and gentlemen." A voice said over the speakers.

"Well, we better get inside and sit down. Come on. We've all got front row seats." Sam said caringly but Danny looked at her strangely as he looked at her still braced hands, causing her to hug and kiss Danny repeatedly when he looked down. "Stop that. I'm okay, hot stuff. My therapy's going well and the doctor says that in a few months, I'll be as good as new. And best of all, I convinced Jack to let me get back to work on desk duty. So, stop feeling bad for me. We want to see you smiling, happy and being that same fresh Danny who's always trying to get every girl at the office." Sam said smiling, causing Danny to redden furiously and start laughing very amused.

"You heard the lady, kiddo. Let's get in there." Jeff said smiling as he held and gently shook Danny's neck, causing Danny to redden more.

"Come on. We better get inside and away from this crowd." Martin said smiling as they led Danny inside the concert hall, causing everyone to laugh amused when he saw how huge the concert hall was and his eyes bugged out because there were hundreds of people already inside, including the band that was already sitting on stage. "Come on, brother." He laughed amused as they all sat in the front row—Sean and Nurse Vicky in between Danny.

"Uh…so…who's playing…tonight?" Danny said uncertain but everyone just laughed amused and talked to other people as they ignored Danny's query.

Ten minutes went by and the lights in the concert hall became dim and then bright again, meaning that the concert was going to start, causing everyone in the concert hall to immediately quiet and sit down.

Once everyone quieted down, the band began playing their musical piece. In all honesty, however, Danny was a bit bored. He figured that Martin meant that they were going to another kind of concert with upbeat music, not an orchestra. But nevertheless, he remained paying attention to the band and trying to make the best out of the rest of the evening.

When the band stopped playing music thirty minutes later, everyone stood up and began applauding nonstop as the Deputy Attorney General made his way to the center of the stage, causing Danny to suddenly get a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked toward Martin and Jack but they just smiled at him in amusement.

"What the hell is this?" Danny said very quietly and somewhat frightened but Martin and Jack just smiled and turned their attention back to the stage.

Five minutes later, everyone took their seats again and the Deputy Attorney General began speaking. Once finished with his speech, the armed forces and the band presented the colors and the National Anthem. Several minutes later, another gentleman was introduced and once again there was a standing ovation—it was the U.S. Attorney General.

That's when all of a sudden, it hit Danny like a bucket of freezing ice water. This concert wasn't a concert at all. There was only one reason why the Attorney General would be there as well as the armed forces—a ceremony of some kind.

Sure enough, Martin and Jack had swindled him into coming to an award ceremony, under false pretenses. The Attorney General presented awards to private citizens, police officers, attorneys and even FBI agents, including the team and a special citizen's public service award to Sean. But everyone except Danny, that is, had been given an award.

"Ladies and gentleman, tonight we have awarded a diverse group of very special individuals, among them ordinary citizens, police officers and agents alike. But there is still one person here who has yet to be honored." The Attorney General said with pride as he pointed to a very large monitor above and behind him."There is a special reason we are all here tonight. We are here to honor a very special young man sitting with us here tonight. This young man was willing to sacrifice his life to ensure the safety of his colleagues, hundreds of our citizens and even our very own distinguished Deputy Director Victor Fitzgerald and his son Martin whom we have also honored here today. This young man endured months of physical and emotional torture to the point of death rather than giving up his colleagues and betraying his country. Our best doctors were certain that this young man would not survive the injuries inflicted upon him by his savage captors." The Attorney General said with conviction as everyone looked at the monitor.

Danny was in a complete state of shock as he sat there silently crying and shaking violently as he slumped forward and covered his face with violently shaking hands. He couldn't conceive what he and everyone in that concert hall were looking at. There on the huge monitor, so everyone could see, was a video of Danny when he was first brought to the emergency room and his entire process of recovery.

"This young man honored today has worked quietly, with no expectations of honor, fanfare or reward. And his task, as we have all seen, has been filled with many obstacles. But those obstacles did not stop him from doing what he had to, to save so many precious lives." The Attorney General said with conviction. "Without further ado, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, it gives me immense pleasure and honor to present to you the recipient of this year's ATTORNEY GENERAL'S AWARD FOR EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE and a $6000 monetary award. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for FBI Special Agent Danny Taylor of the New York City FBI." The U.S. Attorney General said proudly, causing Danny to continue crying silently and shaking violently when the entire concert hall erupted in cheers and music as everyone in the concert hall stood up from their seats.

Danny sat at his seat shaking and crying, causing the team, Sean and Nurse Vicky to cry smiling as they hugged, kissed and soothed him repeatedly and they stood him up.

"Come on, kiddo. Did you actually think that we forgot about you today? Hell, no. We were just busy trying to distract you and get you over here tonight. By the way, say hi to your cabby from this afternoon." Martin cried laughing as another agent from the office, a good friend of Danny's, appeared before Danny laughing as he shook Danny's hand and embraced him.

"Thanks for the one hundred dollar tip, boss. Here's your money back." Agent Cody Frazier said, laughing very amused as he gave Danny his one hundred dollars back.

"It was you? Cody, you prick. I didn't even recognize you." Danny finally managed to laugh crying.

"You can thank our friends." Cody said laughing as he ruffled Danny's head.

"Agent Taylor, will you and your team, please join us on stage?" The Attorney said proudly as the Deputy Attorney stood next to him, causing Danny and to go up to the stage with the others.

"Congratulations, Agent Taylor. You're a credit to your government and the citizens of this fair city." The Attorney General said proudly as he shook Danny's hand and presented him with his award and a large, cardboard check for $6000. "The real one's in the mail." He whispered laughing, causing Danny and the others to laugh.

"Congratulations, Son, you deserve it." The Deputy Attorney said proudly as he shook Danny's hand.

"Thank you. Thank you very much, Sirs. I really wasn't expecting this at all." Danny said smiling as tears stained his face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, once again, your EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE Award Honoree, Special Agent Danny Taylor!" The Attorney General said with great pride, causing the entire hall to erupt in celebration again as they stood, cheered and applauded Danny continuously for nearly ten minutes.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our award ceremony this year. Thank you for joining us this evening and once again, congratulations goes out to all of our very distinguished honorees here tonight. Good night." The Attorney General said with a smile, causing everyone to continue cheering loudly as the band played a closing song.

Once the ceremony concluded, everyone went outside and congratulated and bid Danny their farewells as they shook his hands and some even embraced him. Finally, after two and half hours of everyone bidding Danny their farewells, the team, Sean, his father and Nurse Vicky all decided to retrieve to Danny's apartment.

Danny prepared champagne glasses for everyone and a glass of water for himself, causing tears to escape Danny's eyes as he smiled and they toasted their glasses.

"We're sorry that he had to lie to you, kiddo. But we couldn't let you figure out what was really going on." Sean said smiling amused as he ruffled Danny's head.

"You jerks. I was actually mad and hurt that none of you at least bothered picking me up or picking up the phone when I called you. Then, I wanted to deck Martin when he told me that Jack had given him the day off but he didn't pick me up either." Danny laughed crying as he sniffled and drank some water, causing everyone to laugh loudly and very amused.

All of sudden, Jack chuckled amused and gave Danny a gift-wrapped box.

"What's this?" Danny smiled crying amused as he sniffled.

"Open it." Jack said smiling, causing everyone to smile from ear to ear when Danny opened the box and began sniffling and crying softly like a child when he saw his FBI badge, ID and gun staring back at him from inside the box.

"You start tomorrow, Danny. I want you there bright and early tomorrow morning—all of you, _my _team." Jack said smiling proudly.

"That's why we're going to get going. You heard the boss. We've got to be at work real early." Martin said chuckling amused.

"So, no more excuses, Babe. We want to see that cute, tight little butt in the office tomorrow." Sam teased amused with a devious smile and a raised eyebrow, causing everyone to laugh and hug and kiss Danny goodnight.

_The Following Morning_

_Six AM…_

Danny showered, got dressed had breakfast and then headed out the door. Truth be told, he felt apprehensive about returning to work, but he was also excited—even though he was only on temporary desk duty. He was tired of being cooped up inside his apartment and the hospital. At least at the office, he was around people who cared for him.

After half an hour, Danny finally arrived at FBI Headquarters. He parked his car and got out, causing him to take a shaky breath to calm himself down. He headed inside and everyone began applauding and greeting him as he stepped inside.

"Welcome home, Danny. Welcome home." Jack said with a smile as he and the rest of the team stood at the elevator, causing Danny to chuckle smiling like the old Danny, when the others hugged and kissed him and then led him upstairs to where Danny would begin his life once again with the family who's been through the best and worst times of his life.

Yes, it had been a very arduous, long and uncertain journey for everyone, especially him. But Danny knew that he was finally home with those who loved him and that come hell or high water, they would all get through anything together.

The End.


End file.
